Recently, the Master Gardener Extension Volunteer Class of 2016 completed their 6 week training course. Paulding County trained 5 new interns who are already out making their mark in our community through their volunteer service.
The Master Gardener Extension Volunteer Program is a volunteer training program offered through county offices of the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension. Through this program, individuals are trained and certified in horticulture and related areas through forty hours of gardening education curriculum. These individuals return 50 hours of volunteer service through their expertise and services, under the direction of their Cooperative Extension Agent, to help educate others through horticultural projects that benefit the community. Master Gardeners bring the latest horticultural information and practices from the world of research to their communities’ landscapes and gardens.
In 2015, Paulding County had 29 certified Master Gardeners who contributed a total of 2609 volunteer hours. Several of these Master Gardeners donated more than 100 hours of their time in 2015 to Paulding County Extension programming!

Left to right: Kristine Huffman, Lisa Mason, Barbara Quinones, Christen Thomas and Carol Jelfo.