Virginia Master Gardener Association, Inc.
Saturday October 10, 2009
VA Horse Center, Lexington VA
Hosted by Rockbridge Master Gardeners
Attendance:
(Arlington/ Alexandria) Joe Kelly; (Bedford) Patty Richard; (Central Shenandoah Valley) Wes Ford; (Charlottesville Albemarle) Joyce Grunewald; (Chesterfield) Lynne Foote; (Fairfax) George Graine; (Gloucester) Bonnie Bernard;(Green Spring) Joan Richards, Cyndi Bishop; (Hanover) Cheri Haggerty, Christy Brennan, (James City Co./Williamsburg) Jim and Nelda Pressly; (Lynchburg /Hill City) Debra Straw, Karen Sacasky, Pam Hanse, T J Pond; (Louisa) Ira Wallace, Tina Chaleki, (Prince George) Barbara Geer; (Prince William) Janet and Bill Scott, (Rockbridge) Barbara Thomas, David Mims, Ted Jenks; (Northern Neck) Edward Munns; (Roanoke) Kathryn Debnar ; (Virginia Beach) Jim and Mary Ann Kincaid, Betty Villers; (Va. Tech) Dave Close.
President Betty Villers called the meeting to order at 10:00 am.
Unit representative David Mims welcomed everyone to the Rockbridge County and Lexington fabulous place.
Lexington has Washington & Lee University, VMI, horses and the VA Horse Center, and Master Gardeners. David introduced the president of the Rockbridge Master Gardeners Barbara Thomas, who is also a team leader of the Natural Bridge Garden Program.
Barbara introduced Mimi Elrod, the Mayor of Lexington, who is the first woman mayor and a lifelong educator. She currently is working educating the residents of Lexington on the value of chickens to help change current restrictions.
She welcomed Master Gardeners to Lexington, and admired the hard work and education outreach that Master Gardeners perform. Master Gardeners make a huge difference in VA and have a great contribution to local areas and the greater good.
She hopes we will get a chance to visit Lexington, one of the most beautiful cities in VA.
Betty welcomed Wes Ford a new member representing a new unit Central Shenandoah Valley, which includes Rockingham, Stanton, and Waynesboro.
Some names were spelled incorrectly in the August minutes.
The minutes were accepted with the corrections added, and will be posted on the VMGA web site.
Bill presented the treasurer's report. There will be more expenses incurred in the next coming months due to timing but we will be well within the budget.
There were no questions concerning the treasurer’s report and the report will be filed for audit. (The report is attached).
Special Report –. Dave Close, speaking for Fred Weaver (Director of Risk Management) presented a power point presentation on risk management.
It is the responsibility of each Extension MG volunteer to be aware of risks. Plan and examine every program to minimize exposure to risk. Implement techniques, then evaluate and adjust the program (plan for the best and worst).
Insurance coverage for VCE volunteers applies only to liability. Liability means wrong doing to person, property, or resulting in a loss net income (this is why VCE employees and volunteers are careful not to endorse products or companies).
Every Volunteer should have the VCE Emergency Card filled out and carry it with them. Volunteer hours must be reported to verify you are a VCE volunteer as the liability coverage is for VCE employees and volunteers ( there must be a paper trail with hours reported to insure that volunteers are active and certified). Every volunteer should be aware of risks when working with the vulnerable populations - be aware of your responsibility. Teachers and care givers should be present the entire time volunteers are working with these groups.
The presentation is available at http://intra.ext.vt.edu/policies/riskmgt.html, for more questions - contact Dave Close.
Membership- Mary Ann Kincaid-Chair
As of October 5, there are 540 members of the Virginia Master Gardener Association. Of these, 368 are Active members; 6 are Auxiliary members; and 166 are Lifetime members.
This is an increase of 38 members since the August 2009 report. There are 21 more members than reported in October 2008.
2009-2010 VMGA membership directories are available for unit reps, to take back for distribution.
Newsletter- Peggy Fox- Chair
Peggy was not present and no report was submitted.
Please remember to let Peggy know what is going on in your area by sending her articles or links to your unit’s newsletter.
Unit reports are sent to Cheryl Sebera – Cheryl will be sending a template to use for unit reports to
Include prevalent information for the newsletter. Unit reports are due by October 20th.
Finance Committee- Ted Jenks
The finance committee has had no activity in the last two months and has no report.
Unit Support- Frank Reilly – Chair
The committee consists of Pinky Derieux, Kerry Goldmeyer, Karen Sacasky, and Frank Reilly and whoever else we need. Since the last meeting the Unit Support committee has:
Received and posted on-line information concerning tax reporting requirements for local Units regardless of their tax exempt or incorporation status.
Members: Our newest member Webmaster Dawn Meyerriecks, Betsy Lyon, Cheri Haggerty, Shelby Snyder, Kathryn Debnar, Jim Kincaid, George Graine, Tom Bolt, George Alapas, and Chair Frank Reilly.
Since the August Regularly Scheduled Meeting there have been 10675 visitors to VMGA.net. They visited 76208 pages, or more than 7 pages each.
Since the August regularly Scheduled Meeting, the web page has been updated on 62 separate occasions.
The most popular pages in the last three months have been Calendar, Educational Events, Membership, Resources (which is the way to useful links), and Endowment The front page has 64% of all visitors, which means that most people (by far) come in through the front page, AND see the news and announcements that are posted there.
We will again prepare a recruiting program for MG College. We would like some pictures from this past year’s college. Please send them to webmaster@vmga.net by December 1st.
Education Committee -Barbara Geer – Chair
Barbara would like to remind everyone that we will be back in the fall of 2010 in beautiful Rockbridge for a educational event on community and school gardens.
The program for Tuesday October 13th program has been closed out at 130 attendees. The group made an executive decision to accommodate this number of registered participants. This program will not be a money maker. The program filled very fast and early on there was a waiting list.
Plans are proceeding for the Mini Master Gardener College titled "Leading Edges in Consumer Horticulture" scheduled for March 27th at VA State University in Petersburg.
Mary Ann thanks Barbara and the committee for fitting everyone in.
Coordinator Endowment Committee: Kathryn Debnar- Chair
There was an endowment meeting with Dave, Kathryn and the executive board earlier this morning.
In Season newsletter will have several articles concerning the endowment to clear up any misconceptions and to correct the process of giving to VT Foundation and receiving recognition and acknowledgement.
Total contributions are $301,646.69 this figure includes all gift including those from MG College.
The Endowment reception cost $1000.00 but raised $3000.00.
Remember that if every active Master Gardener pledged the 50 / 5 the endowment would be paid.
Please let Kathryn know if you have not gotten an acknowledgement. As part of the reporting system membership forms will refer all donations to the Foundation. In order to receive documentation for a tax deduction all donations must be submitted to VT. Make checks payable to “VT Foundation”, add Account #886119 in the memo line and mail to: CALS Development Office, 215 Hutcheson Hall (0402) Blacksburg VA 24061.
Virginia Green Industry: Cheri Haggerty- VMGA Representative
The Virginia Gardening Festival 2009 was held Saturday September 12 in Richmond. The attendance was 2400 compared to around 1000 last year. 25 MGs from Henrico, Hanover and Middlesex volunteered over 95 hours and had in excess of 546 contacts. From Rick Baker, Chairman of the Festival “special thank you to each of the Master Gardeners who helped with the raffle, pricing plants, exhibitor set up, plant sales and more. The Garden Festival is finally growing and it takes more people to make it all work smoothly. Each of you helped to do just that!
Garden Festival #5 will be on the 2nd Saturday in September back at the Science Museum of Virginia.
I look forward to working with the Master Gardeners again next year.
On behalf of the Virginia Green Industry Council I thank you again.”
The Virginia Green Industry Council (VGIC) next meeting is Wednesday, October 14,10 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the Henrico VCE Office. The guest speaker is Chris French, Virginia Director of the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay discussing partnerships with VGIC on similar goals.
Other items to be discussed will be Virginia Agribusiness Council Legislative Update by Donna Johnson and the status of the Invasive Species brochure update by Mary Williams.
Education Endowment committee-
We need a volunteer to chair the committee. Traditionally all members of the committee have been past recipients of the Diane Relf Scholarship, most of the work is handled by e-mails.
Fund Raising-
Susan Giandomenico has stepped down from the chair of this committee. Betty has the shirts and other items to fill some orders today. Patty Gamache has agreed to chair the committee. Betty has linked to the same e-mail as Susan was using to continue to obtain orders.
As of this meeting all flags have been sold.
State Fair- Christy Brennan
The inaugural year at The Meadow for the 2009 State Fair was a success. The Fair reported attendance had reached 4000 over last year. Master Gardeners had a large venue in the Fish and Plant Center and had over 20 tables available for demonstrations and publications. Nine Units decided to face the unknown and participate in the eleven day event this year. These volunteers shared the Strawberry DNA Experiment again on the student tour and shared sustainable land care and gardening practices and reported over 10,736 contacts and hundreds of volunteer hours.
The new venue has a lot of opportunities to offer Master Gardeners and we hope more units will choose to participate next year.
VCE- Dave Close
1. Joyce Latimer is going to take over as the content editor for the Home & Grounds PMG which means we should see a considerable improvement and change by the next go around. We are working on a process to involve MG volunteers to a limited number.
2. State Record Keeping System update – as of Tuesday, October 6, we have been granted permission to purchase a volunteer management system from UC Davis that fits the model of what we were in the process of creating from scratch. This system will hopefully be in place within a few months. The system will also be used by the VA Master Naturalist program, and potentially other Extension volunteer programs.
3. Handbook update – 2009 revision is out and being used. I hope to assemble a revision team to begin looking at the next phase. I will begin accepting ‘applications’ or at least letters of interest from volunteers who may want to participate as reviewers or more. I’m also hoping to secure some sponsorships much like MD to offset costs so we can improve the quality without having to increase the price
4. MGs as authors – I’m working with Joyce Latimer and Extension Agents to develop a policy and procedure for MG Volunteers to serve as authors for non-numbered VCE publications. Those guidelines have been sent to agents and we are waiting for feedback before finalizing the procedure and sending it out statewide.
5. Budget Update – recent letter from President Steger outlined the total impact to VT which is in the neighborhood of $68 million reduction. For the current fiscal year, $30 million is being offset by stimulus dollars, but beginning in July of 2010 we will feel the total impact of that permanent reduction. Extension is being hit very hard (budget reduction plans at 5%, 10%, and 15% taking us through FY 2012. These translate into cuts of $3.16 million, $6.33 million, and $9.49 million respectively and are agency-wide). No one knows for sure the total impact and full implications of the impending cuts that were announced in August.
6. Farm to School Meeting update (working toward Nov 9-13 as VA Farm to School Week) – group of stakeholders from several agencies and groups are working on promoting the Farm to School program more actively here in VA. Have had two meetings and are now working on setting up smaller working groups to work on individual pieces or aspects of FtoS. I will be working to collect information on current school and community gardening efforts that exist and helping with identifying a suitable curriculum (from existing resources such as Ag in the Classroom, Jr. MG, and others).
7. MGCAT met in mid-September and worked on concurrent sessions and keynote speakers
8. Conducted a Risk Management Training via Adobe Connect with the JCC/Williamsburg MG unit; 32 present; am willing to do this for other units too and also to use this technology for me to participate in the MG training class by giving my “What is Means to be a VCE MG” presentation.
9. Dr. Alan Grant began as the new Dean for CALS on October 1. I have already requested a meeting with him later this month to bring him up to speed on the VCE MG program and our impact on the Commonwealth of VA.
10. VCE is going through a strategic planning process. They have scheduled 45 events statewide to do hold some discussions with VCE faculty and staff and stakeholders. Be on the lookout for an opportunity in or near your locality and please participate in the planning process. They hope to produce a strategic planning document by February and will make it public no later than July of 2010. This is not in response to the economic downturn and the budget situation. The two events paralleled in time but this will help us pro-actively address the changes that will be inevitable in light of pending budget reductions.
11. Emerald Ash Borer Project – working on developing an online module on EAB to increase awareness in VA and eventually nationally on the presence and impact of EAB. We are working with agents in NoVA to increase public awareness through garden shows and events. The module will be hosted by the National Plant Diagnostic Network (NPDN) group out of Univ. of FL. NPDN is the group responsible for first-detector training that some of you may have participated in a few years ago with Sudden Oak Death (in cooperation with the North Central IPM Center)
12. Landcare Stewards Project – completed first draft of a new book for the NPS. Final version will be available by December 31, 2009.
13. Two new student workers: Lindsay Taylor working on the newsletter (we will likely go to 6 issues per year instead of just 4) and Aldo Coomez working on the website (you will see a dramatic change in the coming weeks to the state MG website).
14. Summer issue of In Season was posted on 10/9/09 on the state MG website; the fall issue will soon be forthcoming.
Presidents Report-
Betty thanked Mary Ann for getting the directories to the meeting.
Aug 29th the Gardening Symposium sponsored by VT Hahn Horticulture Garden was an excellent program – there were lots of master gardeners, five speakers, lunch and a plant sale.
Betty is continuing to receive e-mails and request from other groups, for fund raising ideas and information concerning Master Gardeners volunteering across borders.
Kathryn is in the process of creating an index of power point presentations and slide programs which units have and would share and resources. Please send Kathryn an e-mail of the program titles and unit sname for the directory.
Unfinished Business-
Silent auction – we are looking for a volunteer or a unit to handle the Master Gardener silent auction for next year.
Diane Relf Education Endowment Committee –needs a volunteer to chair the committee.
We are looking for a volunteer to take records of VMGA and update the history of the VMGA.
Please let Betty know if interested.
New Business:
Betty has appointed the nominating committee; Cheri Haggerty, Jim Scibeck and Paul Campbell. Remember this year ballots will be sent by e-mail as approved by membership last year.
The committee had to be appointed 150 days before the Annual Meeting according to the by-laws.
Dave mentioned an idea some units pay for VMGA membership for all MG Trainees, this may be worth the investment to attract more members to the organization.
If you are unable to go please e-mail Cheri Haggerty ideas and issues you would like to have discussed.
Next VMGA meeting will be held on Dec 12th, 2009 - 10:00 at VA Beach AREC, hosted by the VA. Beach Master Gardeners.
Schedule of meetings:
February: Suffolk
April: Gloucester
Meeting adjourned at 1:42 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Christy Brennan, VMGA Secretary
Virginia Master Gardener Association, Inc
Treasurer’s Report
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Virginia Master Gardener Association, Inc
Treasurer’s Report
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Checking Balance as of |
7/31/2009 |
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$7,129.54 |
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Receipts |
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$2,810.76 |
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Coord Endowment Gifts |
$262.00 |
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Dues FY 11-20 |
$132.00 |
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FY 10 Dues (current FY) |
$348.00 |
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Education |
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$30.00 |
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Fundraising |
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$2,038.76 |
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Gift for EEF |
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$0.00 |
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Restricted Gift for Scholarship |
$0.00 |
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Disbursements |
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-$191.59 |
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Comm/Support |
$0.00 |
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Coord Endowment Cmte |
$0.00 |
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Coord Endow Gift Transfers |
$0.00 |
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Education |
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$0.00 |
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Education Scholarship-Spec |
$0.00 |
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EEF Scholarships |
$0.00 |
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Elections |
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$0.00 |
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Fund Raising Cmte |
$0.00 |
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Fund Raising Gifts to Endowment |
$0.00 |
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Marketing |
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$0.00 |
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Membership & Roster |
-$23.76 |
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Newsletter |
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-$161.74 |
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State Fair |
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$0.00 |
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Officers Expense |
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President |
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$0.00 |
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Vice President |
$0.00 |
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Secretary |
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$0.00 |
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Treasurer |
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-$6.09 |
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Transfers |
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-$2,547.04 |
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EEF Gift Transfers |
$0.00 |
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Lifetime Dues Transfers |
$0.00 |
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Reserve CD Transfers |
$0.00 |
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Fundraising Inventory Transfer |
-$2,547.04 |
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Checking Balance as of |
9/30/2009 |
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$7,201.67 |
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Interest Income on Reserve and EEF CD's |
$200.82 |
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Interest Income on Future Dues CD |
$72.04 |
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Virginia Master Gardener Association, Inc
Treasurer’s Report
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Year to Date Income & Expenses to Budget FY10 |
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Income YTD |
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Committee |
Budget |
Income |
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Membership |
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FY 09 (Lifetime/Prior Year) |
$4,000.00 |
$4,008.00 |
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FY 09 (Current FY) |
$1,400.00 |
$1,020.00 |
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Subtotal |
$5,400.00 |
$5,028.00 |
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Education |
$3,000.00 |
$0.00 |
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Fundraising |
$1,000.00 |
$1,428.79 |
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Gift for EEF |
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$30.00 |
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Interest Income |
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$272.86 |
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total |
$9,400.00 |
$6,759.65 |
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Expenses YTD |
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Committee |
Budget |
Expense |
Year-End |
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Comm/Support |
$275.00 |
$0.00 |
$275.00 |
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Coord Endowment Cmte |
$100.00 |
$0.00 |
$100.00 |
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Education |
$3,000.00 |
$0.00 |
$3,000.00 |
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EEF Scholarships |
$600.00 |
-$500.00 |
$100.00 |
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Elections |
$125.00 |
$0.00 |
$125.00 |
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Fund Raising Cmte |
$50.00 |
-$202.85 |
-$152.85 |
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Fund Raising Gifts to Endowment |
$1,000.00 |
-$228.00 |
$772.00 |
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Marketing |
$300.00 |
$0.00 |
$300.00 |
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Membership & Roster |
$2,000.00 |
-$129.80 |
$1,870.20 |
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Newsletter |
$1,200.00 |
-$297.32 |
$902.68 |
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State Fair |
$400.00 |
$0.00 |
$400.00 |
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Officers Expense |
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President |
$125.00 |
$0.00 |
$125.00 |
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Vice President |
$25.00 |
$0.00 |
$25.00 |
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Secretary |
$100.00 |
$0.00 |
$100.00 |
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Treasurer |
$100.00 |
-$19.29 |
$80.71 |
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total |
$9,400.00 |
-$1,377.26 |
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Year to Date Endowment & Restricted Funds Transactions FY10 |
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Fund |
Balance to Start Fiscal Year |
Funds Received |
Transfers |
Balance |
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Coordinator Endowment |
$1,078.00 |
$528.00 |
-$1,078.00 |
$528.00 |
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Fundraising for Coor. Endow. |
$1,411.88 |
$1,428.79 |
-$1,639.88 |
$1,200.79 |
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Education Endowment |
$353.00 |
$0.00 |
$0.00 |
$353.00 |
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total |
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$2,081.79 |