Effingham County
1209 Wenthe Drive
Effingham, IL 62401
217 347-7773 FAX 347-7775
October 15, 2009
News Release
Brenda Roedl
Natural Resource Educator
Release Date: Now
Skilled Gardeners Needed to Teach Others
If you have a strong interest in gardening and enjoy teaching others, you are invited to apply to become
a University of Illinois Extension Master Gardener. U of I Extension, Effingham County, is accepting
applications for Master Gardener training which will begin January 20 and be held on 11 consecutive
Wednesdays though April 7, 2010. Training hours are 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. each session and will be held at the
U of I Extension Office located at 1209 Wenthe Drive in Effingham. Class size is limited and participants will
be accepted based on applications and an interview.
Increase your knowledge and understanding of such varied topics as lawn management; growing fruits,
vegetables and flowers; plant disease and insect pest identification and control and much more. Instructors are
Extension professionals and University specialists.
To become a University of Illinois Extension Master Gardener volunteer, you must attend all the
training sessions, pass an examination and volunteer 60 hours of horticultural service to the community though
Extension educational programming.
In Effingham county volunteer service is divided between office work and community projects. Office
work consists primarily of researching horticulture questions submitted by area residents, organizing resources
and preparing diagnostic reports for mailing or computer submission. Community project work varies
depending upon the skills and interests of the Master Gardener volunteer. Some of the Effingham County
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences
United States Department of AgricultureLocal Extension Councils cooperating
University of Illinois Extension provides equal opportunities in programs and employment
activities include 4-H project judging, civic group presentations, writing newspaper articles, teaching at the
Junior Master Gardener program or landscape programs for non-profit entities. There are many other volunteer
options as well.
Effingham County will be accepting applications for this volunteer, non-paid program through
December 14, 2009. If you are interested in becoming a Master Gardener in Effingham County, stop by the U
of I Extension office, 1209 Wenthe Drive, Effingham or phone 217-347-7773 or check our website at:
www.extension.uiuc.edu/effingham for more information.
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences
United States Department of AgricultureLocal Extension Councils cooperating
University of Illinois Extension provides equal opportunities in programs and employment