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University of Illinois Extension McHenry County Master Gardeners honor volunteers at annual banquet

More than 100 attendees of the McHenry County University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners' annual recognition banquet in Huntley recently honored the volunteers' achievements.

In 2019, 131 Extension Master Gardener volunteers logged more than 8,700 hours serving more than 2,000 clients providing research-based, unbiased information about home gardening and other botanical topics.

The monetary value of these collective volunteer hours would amount to more than $222,000 in salary costs.

Twenty volunteer "interns," members who joined the group this year and took the intensive multi-week training module, were honored for "graduating" and becoming trained and certified Extension Master Gardeners. They also were required to give 60 hours of volunteer service.

Thirty additional Extension Master Gardeners were recognized for volunteering more than 100 hours each during the course of the year.

In addition, one Extension Master Gardener, Ed Schuckert, was noted for being a McHenry County Extension Master Gardeners for 25 years.

Eleven other people earned their 10-year volunteer pins.

As the Extension Master Gardeners volunteers gathered in the ballroom at Jameson's Charhouse in Huntley on Dec. 8, they reminisced about the accomplishments of 2019 and recalled the various projects, major events, horticulture classes, community programs, and thousands of client interactions within the community.

This winter, the McHenry County Extension Master Gardeners will be available for walk-in clients in their office at 1102 McConnell Road in Woodstock on Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to noon. You can also ask garden-related questions by calling (815) 338-3737 or emailing uiemg-mchenry@illinois.edu.

The University of Illinois Extension McHenry County Master Gardeners consist of about 150 volunteers. The mission of an Extension Master Gardener is to share unbiased, reliable, research-based information with home landscapers and gardeners, as well as to encourage people to enjoy gardening and vegetable growing.

Contact the McHenry County Extension Master Gardeners at 1102 McConnell Road, P.O. Box 1430, Woodstock, IL 60098, phone (815) 338-3737 or visit web.extension.illinois.edu/lm.

University of Illinois Extension provides equal opportunities in programs and employment. If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this program, contact the McHenry County Extension office at (815) 338-3737.

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