Master Gardeners Welcome New Members, 2013 Officers
On December 3, Kaufman County Master Gardeners held their annual awards banquet at St. Martin de Tours Catholic Church’s fellowship hall in Talty. Almost forty members and guests were on hand to welcome nine new members: Marline Ballard, Jim Burt, Linda Coulter, Marilyn Denmon, Samantha Keats, Wilber Lee Reid, Jal Scarborough, Tamara Stahlman and Renee Word. During their internship year in 2012, they contributed at least 50 hours of volunteer time working in the Garden Learning Center, at other demonstrations, at educational programs and at the Extension Office. This 50-hour commitment was in addition to the more than 80 hours of training they received in the 2011 Master Gardener training program.
Thirteen Master Gardeners received awards for contributing over 100 hours of volunteer service in 2012: Rebecca Morrow, Brad Ackerman, Lynn Ackerman, Marline Ballard, John Ballard, Frances Holmes, Richard Kozelski, Bonnie Hoover, Nancy Bowman, Michael Stevens, Renee Word, Hildegard Smith and Paula Gilligan. Master Gardeners contributed 4,077 hours of volunteer time in 2012. At the state-determined rate of $21.79 per hour for volunteer time, this amounts to $88,832.38 in benefit to Kaufman County.
Award pins were presented to Monty Angell, Wanda Dietel, Frances Holmes, Paulette Parker, Ada O’Steen and Larry Tigert for ten years service to the organization. Mary Dean and Michele Reeves received pins for five years of service.
New officers for 2013 were also announced. Karen Sanders will serve as President, aided by Jim Burt as President-Elect. Frank Clark will serve as Treasurer, and Margaret Ann Trail returns as secretary after a year’s hiatus.