Less Interesting Than The Last One... sorry

Every week (or two... or three, if I'm being bad), I have to write up a short account of what I am doing at work to send off to the County Commissioners to show them that our Extension Office is worthwhile keeping and funding. My little report gets smashed in with the reports of all the other individuals in all the other programs. It's nothing big. However, I have been saving them so that I don't lose track of where I am coming from. I thought that I'd go ahead and pass them along. Granted, they are not particularly awe-inspiring, heart-wrenching, or even necessarily interesting, but for those of you who wonder what I've been doing all day at work for the last few months, here we go!


Week of October 12-16:

On the 12th, I was able to attend a 4-H Council meeting where we took time to look at the launch of our "Buy A Clover" campaign, both its successes and aspects that can be improved upon next year. I also attended a Master Gardeners Foundation meeting on the 14th where we finalized the budget for the 2010 Master Gardener season and planned for our big annual awards night.

On the 16th, I was able to attend a very valuable Experiential Learning training concerning "Learning Communities" that gave me wonderful tools to encourage and assist individuals in finding membership, purpose and new skills through their volunteer service to both 4-H and Master Gardener programs. I have already begun to use these tools in my recruitment and leadership roles and I look forward to continued learning on the subject of successful community building.




Week of November 2-6:

From October 26th through the 29th, I attended the SERVES conference in Yakima for the Washington Service Corps. There, I was able to take workshops in a variety of topics including Psychological First Aid, Shelter Operations, Brain Compatible Teaching, Volunteer Management, and Living a Life in Balance. Some of these sessions were more valuable than others.

I completed data compilation and entry of surveys sent out to Master Gardeners into a spreadsheet. This will be a valuable tool for us to look into how the program is working best, what needs work, and the wide variety of ideas our members have on ways to improve our program and its impact on our community. I have also been processing applications for the 2010 Master Gardener course.

During the continuous project of connecting local families with local 4-H clubs, I found more than 20 youth living in Olympia and Lacey seeking clubs that would nurture a variety of art- and science-based projects. At the time, we did not have enough clubs accepting members in these project areas to support the need. On November 2nd, I made the decision to take on a leadership position and begin a new 4-H. I contacted these families and look forward to our first meeting on November 13th.




Weeks of December 3 -10:

On Friday the 4th, I participated in the Thurston County Employee Craft Fair at the courthouse. I had a small number of knitted goods and appreciated the chance to interact with county employees outside the extension office.

On Tuesday the 8th, I finally completed the task of matching all the families who have expressed interest in joining 4-H this year with clubs that suit their interests and location. During this process, I have matched more than 118 families with clubs in Thurston County and kindly connected those living outside Thurston to the program extension in their county of residence. I have been receiving positive feedback from many of these families concerning helpful responses during their search and welcoming environments within the clubs. I hope for continuing contact with many of these new families to make sure their experience is favorable.

On Wednesday the 9th, I was able to both enjoy and help facilitate the Thurston County Master Gardeners holiday party. We enjoyed a desert potluck, white elephant gift exchange event, and some wonderful social interaction. Everyone I spoke to expressed appreciation of the event.




Weeks of December 9 -16:

On the 9th, I attended the 4-H monthly council meeting at the WSU extension office. We talked about a wide range of topics including proposed by-law changes, and the need for all committee meetings to be held in accessible, public places for the comfort, safety, and inclusion of all members. I attended the facilitation of 4-H Volunteer Leader Training part II on the 12th which covered liability, insurance, risk management, finances, and mandatory reporting protocol (among other things). On the 13th, I held my first club meeting for Thurston County's only currently arts-centered 4-H club. The families are excited about the potential for this group and I share these sentiments.




Weeks of January 6 – 13:

On January 7th, I helped train in the Mentors for the Master Gardener Class of 2010. We have six mentors who will assist our interns in the online training and any computer-based problems they may encounter and six traditional mentors who will assist the interns in all other areas. The training went well and our mentors are enthusiastic about their roles to play. Along with that, I took the time to pair one of each mentor type with a group of interns of varying ages and genders to facilitate both information sharing, and socializing.

On January 12th, we were able to get all 340 re-commitment forms for Master Gardeners in the mail. We are excitedly awaiting their return so that we can update our involvement roster and have valuable information about our volunteers' interest areas.

Along with these projects, I've also nearly finished the project of creating program calendars for both the Master Gardeners and 4-H Programs. These include images to inspire curiosity in a variety of program areas, and important dates for all our volunteers to know. I have also been doing background check updates on our entire 4-H volunteer roster, and doing preparations for the 2010 Master Gardener class which will begin February 5th.




Weeks of January 13 – 26:

On the 13th, I participated in the monthly Master Gardeners Foundation meeting. I have offered to assist the foundation's Garden Tour Committee with creating aesthetically pleasing, as well as informative, advertisements for this year's tour. I was also able to register and gain access for the online portion of the Master Gardener online training on the 25th and have been learning how to most effectively use the materials available for the upcoming class. As we preparations for the 2010 Master Gardener class come to a head, I have been helping by tailor schedules, assignments, contact information, and class tools to reflect our enrolled members, guest speakers, and topics of interest. I am excitedly anticipating the first day of class on February 5th.

Throughout the week of the 18th, I completed the yearly background check updates for all of our enrolled 4-H adult Volunteer Leaders. I am also nearly finished with a project that will result in a 4-H program and events calendar that leaders and mentors can use to keep track of important deadlines, events, and meetings throughout the year.

On the 18th, I spent Martin Luther King Day volunteering in the fields at Left Foot Organics outside Olympia. I enjoyed lovely weather, other volunteers, Left Foot's staff and the "growers" they exist to employ. I also attended the WSU Thurston County Extension Office staff meeting on the 19th. This was an opportunity to catch up on what other programs are doing and plan for our upcoming Open House on February 10th.