Master Gardeners Recognized for Years of Service to County

Pictured left to right: Commissioner Danny Leeper, Jane Brown, Ginny Grupe, Kathy Warner, Bea Walker, and County Extension Director Becky Jordi

The Nassau County Extension offers a variety of services to Nassau County residents on a myriad of topics including diet & nutrition, health insurance benefits, and youth development. The department also hosts many free classes related to agriculture and horticulture including monthly landscape classes, plant clinics, small farming classes, and pesticide training. Many of these classes are taught by volunteers who received Master Gardener Certifications through the University of Florida. In 2015, Master Gardeners taught 686 classes to 7,257 residents resulting in over 5,000 in volunteer hours and a cost savings of $108,132 to Nassau County residents!

At this morning's meeting, the Board of County Commissioners recognized four Nassau County residents for their volunteerism at the Nassau County Extension Office.

• Jane Brown was recognized for 10 years of service to Nassau County. Ms. Brown specializes in annuals and hosts classes related to identifying flowers that can survive the Florida heat, caring for flowers, and pruning techniques. She also specializes in growing and caring for various types of roses. In fact, she assists with caring for all the roses featured in the County's demonstration gardens.
  
• Ginny Grupe was recognized for 15 years of service. Ms. Grupe is known by her colleagues as the "butterfly lady". She holds numerous community outreach programs to teach children about butterflies, as well as classes for adults to learn how to attract more butterflies to their landscape. Ms. Grupe also hosts the annual Ag Extravaganza for all third graders in the County to learn about farming and teaches classes on Florida Friendly Landscape to help homeowners reduce water consumption and learn how to choose drought-tolerant plants.
• Bea Walker was recognized for 10 years of service. Ms. Walker promotes the County Extension's programs through various marketing techniques including articles, photos, and public relations information in the local papers, websites, and gardening magazines. These articles and photos have provided the County Extension with nearly 17 million positive exposures, providing the residents of northeast Florida with learning opportunities implemented by the County Extension Office. Fun fact: Bea Walker was selected at the Master Gardener of the Year for the State of Florida in 2009.
  
• Kathy Warner was recognized for 10 years of service. Ms. Warner spends countless hours designing and administering the County Extension website. Under her leadership in the last ten years, the website has grown from 8 pages to just over 300. The website "hits" have also increased from 610 annually to over 100,000. She is also the editor and author of the "Horticulture News", an online newsletter that provides homeowners with useful information such as how to care for grass, how to choose the correct soil, and mulching techniques. Fun fact: Kathy was selected as Nassau County's Volunteer of the Year in 2014 and was recognized at the Annual Volunteer Luncheon for her services.

Nassau County is truly grateful to these individuals, as well as all the other volunteers who sacrifice their time to make this County great!

If you are interested in learning more about the County Extension Office, please visit their website. You may also contact their office directly at (904) 530-6350 with questions or comments.

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office

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