VOLUNTEER NEWS
Lakes Park Ambassadors in September 2019
Kathy Busick is the Foundation’s Secretary and manager of volunteer work days in the gardens. She was in the spotlight recently at the E Awards. “I didn’t win, but it was fun being nominated,” she said. “I was in great company”.
Bill Johnson spearheads the Community Garden’s efforts each year to raise and harvest food for the Community Cooperative, a soup kitchen here in Fort Myers. Here we see Bill transporting some vegetable seedlings from the propagation shed over to the Community Garden for planting.
This new mini-trailer is an example of what your donations to the gardens can do. Now volunteers can hitch this trailer to one of the park’s maintenance vehicles for easy transport of plants and horticultural waste. Our volunteers are the best, and we are grateful that we can use your donations to get them the equipment they need to keep the gardens looking as good as they do.
FREE! Guests First Customer Service Training Program
REGISTRATION IS OPEN: Lee County FL Visitor & Convention Bureau offers FREE customer service training for staff AND volunteers
One of Lee County’s tourism goals is to be the friendliest place to live, work, and visit. The Guests First customer service training program is offered by the Lee County Visitor’s Bureau FREE. Registration is ongoing for the Fall sessions. This program is especially helpful to those employees and volunteers who interface directly with the public. To find out more about this program and to register for classes, CLICK THIS LINK: Customer Service Training Registration | Lee County Visitor and Convention Bureau
UF/IFAS Lee County Extension Service offers
Master Gardener Volunteer Training Program
The Florida Master Gardener Program is a volunteer-driven program that benefits UF/IFAS Extension and the citizens of Florida. The program relies on dedicated volunteers who have an interest in gardening and in giving back to their communities.
Fort Myers, FL, Sept. 19, 2019 – The UF/IFAS Lee County Extension Service will hold the next Master Gardener Training Program beginning Jan. 8, 2020. This 13-week comprehensive course will offer students training in basic botany, agriculture, horticulture and Florida’s ecology.
Master Gardener Volunteers are a group of extensively trained volunteers of the Cooperative Extension Service that assist agents in outreach, training and research. The goal of this volunteer program is to increase the reach of the University’s research-based information into the community. The quality of life for residents of Lee County improves through the activities of the volunteers. Graduates give, in turn, a yearly quota of volunteer hours in a variety of activities. Activities include teaching workshops, answering the publics’ gardening questions at the Terry Park office and providing research-based information at community events.
This course will cover a wide range of topics including:
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Plant Identification
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Florida soils and proper amending
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Insects, fungus, disease and weed pests
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Warm season lawn care and maintenance
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Vegetable and small fruit gardening
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Landscapes for beauty and protection of resources
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Plant nutrients and fertilizing practices
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Proper pruning techniques for shrubs and trees
and more gardening topics
