The President’s Post

2022 was a terrific year for the Norfolk Master Gardeners, and it is all thanks to your hard work!

We finished the year with a total of over 21,000 hours! This is well above over the roughly 18,000+ hours that we accrued in the pre-Covid years of 2018 and 2019, not to mention the just under 14,000 hours from 2021. As far as I can tell, this may be our highest hours number ever, and I think this is a reflection of several factors: our emergence from COVID, a great resurgence in enthusiasm and energy after a couple of frightening years, and lastly our increased numbers. 

Our numbers at the end of 2022 were approximately 135 Master Gardeners and 6 Interns, or about 140 active members, plus about a dozen Lifetime and Emeritus Master Gardeners. Again, these are the highest numbers since the end of 2017, which had 104 Master Gardeners and 17 Emeritus, though 2018 was not too far behind with 117 Master Gardeners and 19 Interns. From what I can gather, our 2022 active membership numbers are as high as we have ever had! 

In 2022, virtually all of our approximately 25 projects were up and running full on, giving our members plenty of volunteer options to choose from. Our committees were likewise running full steam. And, as you can tell from the hours discussion above, you responded! All of our projects and committees had a great year. We were even able to organize a Greenhouse Project team, and while we were disappointed that we could not get the greenhouse up and running, we are ready to go whenever the green light is given.

Two other elements buttressed our success last year. First, we had record plant sale numbers, which will give us some much-needed financial flexibility in the next couple of years. Second, we brought in a terrific training class of 22 enthusiastic members. 

We did much of this without an Agent in place, though we do have a highly committed Master Gardener Coordinator with Kate Melhuish. We also say thank you to Joey Rothgery, who served as our Second Vice President/Project Coordinator for eight outstanding years.

For those who missed the holiday luncheon, as part of celebrating 2022 we recognized those members who have been Norfolk Master Gardeners for 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and finally 30 (looking at you, Gill Gillespie!) years. We also noted members who have received recognition from groups outside our association. In addition, we introduced the new Keystone Award thanks to the inspiration of the Membership Committee, which has been looking at ways to recognize and celebrate our members. The Keystone Award recognizes those who have been literal keystones of our association, with a minimum of 10 years of service as a Norfolk Master Gardener (there are several other criteria). Three members received this award: Tom West, Debora Mosher, and Gill Gillespie, who have given so much to our organization over the years. Many thanks to Tom, Debora and Gill for all that you have done!

Congratulations and thank you to all Norfolk Master Gardeners for  your hard work, energy and enthusiasm in making 2022 one of our best years ever. Let’s keep up the excellent work in 2023!