Applications available for Master Gardener Training Program
By Roger Larson | 4th November 2007
To accomplish the Mission of “building with minds and hands and touching hearts”, the University of Illinois Master Gardner program is gearing up for another year to help others grow through the Master Gardener Training Program.
The Peoria County Extension is currently taking applications for the upcoming certification program that begins January 28 and runs through March 31, 2008. Locations of classes are in Peoria and Tazewell Counties, with the cost being $135.00. Some of the topics include, but are not limited to: Soils, Botany, Woody Ornamentals, Plant Pathology/Disease, and Vegetables. The Peoria County Master Gardener program is open to any adult interested in plants and has a desire to share that with others. Master Gardener is a prestigious designation given to individuals who have completed the training and a minimum of sixty volunteer hours, over two years, at their local University of Illinois Extension office. The diversity of The Peoria County University of Illinois Extension Master Gardener Program offers various ways to obtain the needed volunteer hours. Master Gardeners build across diverse generations, from projects at the Bel-Wood Nursing Home and the Apostolic Christian Skyline facility to the Raised Bed Garden Demonstration Plot and the new Youth Garden at Children’s Home Association in Peoria.
The Peoria County Master Gardeners bridge different generations to touch hearts and also build across diverse needs and venues. With projects at PARC (Peoria Association for Retarded Citizens) and helping the young men at the Youth Farm build their own gardens while they enjoy the fruit of their labor, there is no question why the Peoria County Master Gardeners have been recognized on the state level for “building with minds and hands and touching hearts. The deadline for application is December 1, 2007. If you would like to be part of the Master Gardener program or have any questions, call Roger A. Larson at the Peoria County Extension Office at 309-685-3140.
For other consumer-related questions, call the Peoria County Office at 309-685-3140 or visit us on the web at www.extension.uiuc.edu.