Co-Chairs’ Report for 2016 Annual General Meeting, April 30

The MMGA’s previous AGM was held in November 2015.

With the change in our fiscal year from April 1st to January 1st, members have been asked to pay their annual membership three months early. As a result some additional moneys have accrued. The April AGM will provide an opportunity to discuss with members how these additional funds can be used to benefit the membership.

The Board is exploring options for a more information technology-based process for recording volunteer and educational hours which will also allow us to compile valuable data (i.e. total number of volunteer/education hours annually, types of volunteer/educational opportunities, etc.). For members who prefer to use a non-electronic means of recording volunteer and education hours, this option will remain available.

The Board has arranged with The Prairie Garden for interested members to receive a discounted copy of The Prairie Garden which is released annually each November. A sign-up sheet will be available at the April AGM. Members can also email to indicate their interest. We extend our appreciation to The Prairie Garden committee!

The Board has determined that the time has come to make some revisions to its existing By-Laws and will be reviewing these in the coming months for the membership’s approval at the 2017 AGM. One example includes the need to amend the By-Laws to allow for staggered Board terms so that all terms on the Board do not end at the same time.

Following the recommendations by our members who volunteer as Master Gardener Ambassadors at Assiniboine Park, we met with Assiniboine Park Conservancy in December and following discussions, agreed that eligibility for Master-Gardeners-in-Training to volunteer as Ambassadors is dependent on first completing all of the courses in the Master Gardener program. Interested members should contact Dawn Hicks, MMGA Volunteer Coordinator.

In December, the Board finalized an Educational Standards policy which is available for downloading on the MMGA website. For full details, please visit the member log-in page.

With the assistance of our new Public Relations Director as well as our Communications Director, the Board is working towards raising the profile of the Master Gardener program in Manitoba. Initiatives include more visible promotion of the fall Orientation and the creation of an organizational power-point.

The Board recognizes the importance of providing better opportunities for educational programming that is offered not only in Winnipeg but in communities outside of Winnipeg and is working towards that goal.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to long-serving Board members, Karen Loewen and Deborah Petrie. As an early advocate for the return of the Master Gardener program to Manitoba, Karen is also one of the founding members of the MMGA and has served with the Board as co-chair since its inception. Deborah has served as the MMGA’s first membership director since 2011, developing the role and expanding the duties over the years. Thank you, Karen and Deborah!

We are excited about the year ahead of us which will see growth in our Master Gardener community as a number of MGITs prepare to write their exam. As well, there are a greater number and variety of educational workshops instructed by our members. The MMGA website is attracting more and more visitors who are searching for answers to their plant questions. The MMGA recognizes the value of networking with our fellow Master Gardeners in other provinces and is exploring partnerships with businesses in order to benefit our members. Please be sure to read through all of the Directors’ reports!

In closing, we extend our hearty congratulations to Manitoba Master Gardeners Mick Manfield, Marilyn Dudek and Jeannette Adams for their recognition by the Awards of Excellence committee at the recent Canadian Master Gardener Conference April 8-10 in Huntsville, Ontario. Mick received Honorable Mention for his volunteer work with ImagineAbility and Marilyn and Jeannette were awarded 2nd prize for the creation of how-to videos on the MMGA website – bravo!

Thank you to each of our members for your contributions as volunteers in your communities – we look forward to seeing you at the AGM on April 30th.

Sincerely,

Colleen Zacharias, Co-Chair and Diana Dhaliwal, Interim Co-Chair

April 16, 2016