WV Master Gardeners Honored with Award

By Delores Barber, KCMGA

The Annual Governor’s Service Awards which recognize outstanding individuals and groups who volunteer their time and services to help meet community needs were established in 1995. These awards are presented annually at the State Conference on Volunteerism, Community Service and Service-Learning to honor volunteers in ten categories. These volunteers are nominated by members of their neighborhoods, communities and others who recognize the contribution that is made. Criteria for judging included identification of the community need, achievement, impact and innovation of the project or service provided. 

The West Virginia Master Gardeners won this prestigious award for 2001. We were nominated along with 20 other organizations, all very worthy. The Master Gardener Program has grown to include more than 900 active members in 33 of the 55 counties in West Virginia.  These individual Master Gardener groups have devoted countless hours in an effort to make their communities a better place to live.

The awards ceremony was held on July 18 at the Lakeview Resort in Morgantown with Dr. John Jett, the state coordinator for the Master Gardener Program, accepting the award. The West Virginia Master Gardeners were represented by Mary McCormick, the current West Virginia Outstanding Master Gardener, and Delores Barber, President of the West Virginia Master Gardener Association.

All West Virginia Master Gardeners should be very proud to have received this award.  It is the work of each of the 990 active members throughout the state who made it possible for us to be recognized as a group that makes a difference in the state.