Master Gardener’s President

President’s Message

January 2023
Thank you for the opportunity and honor to continue serving on the JCMGA Board,
and to share my hope for the year ahead. Becoming an Alabama Master Gardener
has afforded me the most wonderful opportunities to nurture my passion for nature
through gardening while meeting some of the most interesting people and serving
my community. I only wish I had discovered the Master Gardener program years
ago, because no sooner had I completed the training than the pandemic hit. I quickly
lost connections to many of my fellow Master Gardeners and the program at large.
Like many of you, I let my dues lapse and stopped reporting volunteer hours. Luckily
there were a few fellow Master Gardeners that didn’t let me stray too far for too
long. I am so grateful for these unbroken connections that ultimately brought me
back! Furthermore, I am grateful to the Master Gardeners with whom I served on
the Board last year. As Darwin recounted in his last President’s Message, we
traversed the highs and lows of returning to in-person programs and the process of
applying for 501(c)3 status, and we did so with unwavering solidarity and resolve
for which I will be forever grateful.
As we begin this year anew let us reaffirm that above all else, we remain
an association knitted together by our commonality as Master Gardeners. Without
this connection and shared kinship, as an association we ultimately fail to reach our
full potential. Therefore, it is my hope for the new year that you will all have
opportunities as I have to rekindle your connection to the association, and to help
others do the same, and in so doing, the Jefferson County Master Gardener
Association will be more meaningful to you and your communities. To put that hope
into action, one of my fellow board members or I will be reaching out to you all
individually very soon. I look forward to many forthcoming conversations and hope
to see you all this year!

Amy Weis, President