Master Gardener Volunteer Program

In early fall 2004, the Master Gardener Volunteer Program was presented for the first time on Chicago's southeast side. Through the Southeast Communities Initiative, one goal is to increase opportunities for volunteerism and leadership development to the residents of these communities. The Master Gardener Volunteer program, a highly recognized volunteer program through the University of Illinois Extension, represented a perfect opportunity to encourage volunteer activities.

To encourage enrollment a special promotion was rolled out through churches, marketing through monthly aldermanic forums, and several articles in local newspapers. The results were positive. There have been 26 individuals, mostly seniors, who have participated in the this volunteer training. The graduates of this program provided over 420 volunteer hours to local garden projects and in other areas across the city. One significant result is that the Master Gardener program has signed-on to participate in the City of Chicago Streetscapes Initiative on East 71st street that was developed through the local community development organization, Business and Economic Revitalization Association, for the summer of 2006.

Extension plans to increase it's presence of the Master Gardener Volunteer program in the southeast communities and will support an increase presence of garden projects in these areas. Another goal is to provide a weekly news column on gardening in a local newspaper that will be managed through the Master Gardeners.

For more details about University of Illinois Extension Master Gardener Program contact the local Cook County office at 773-768-7779 or visit the website at: http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/cook/mgchicago/index.html