OSU Cooperative Extension is a great place to volunteer

Friday, April 20, 2018

Volunteer. According to the dictionary, a volunteer is a person who voluntarily undertakes or expresses a willingness to undertake a service, such as volunteering for military service, or one who renders a service or takes part in a transaction while having no legal concern. In other words, these individuals give freely of themselves.

The Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension offers a variety of ways in which a person can volunteer his or her time and talent, including through the Oklahoma 4-H Youth Development Program and the Oklahoma Master Gardener Volunteer Program.

Karla Knoepfli, assistant Extension specialist in the State 4-H Office at Oklahoma State University, said the success of Oklahoma 4-H is due in part to fantastic volunteers.

“Our program is extremely successful because we have so many people who believe in positive youth development and are generous with their time and other resources to support the young people in the state,” Knoepfli said. “These individuals serve as mentors to club members in all 77 counties and continue to make a difference in the lives of our youth every day.”

Latest figures show nearly 3,700 adult certified volunteers who fulfill roles as club leaders, project leaders and activity leaders and who provide leadership to more than 14,730 youth enrolled in 4-H.

“This means there is one caring adult leader for every four club members,” she said. “This is vital to our program because it provides youth with not only a safe environment in which to learn and build life skills, but also fosters a positive relationship with a caring adult. Keep in mind, however, that number of volunteers isn’t necessarily all encompassing. We also have thousands of parents and other adults who volunteer with events, serve as judges for various contests, serve as workshop instructors and those who help as chaperones and with fundraisers.”

In addition to the thousands of adult volunteers, the Oklahoma 4-H Youth Development Program also provides opportunities for its club members to volunteer. Currently there are about 1,000 teens serving in certified volunteer roles throughout the state.

Knoepfli said through these roles, club members have the opportunity to continue building life skills such as leadership, citizenship and confidence, all of which are key components to the goals of 4-H membership.

“These opportunities stick with our youth and they become more inclined to serve in other volunteer roles later in life,” she said.

Missy Quintero is no stranger to volunteering. A former state 4-H president and member of the Oklahoma 4-H Hall of Fame, she now serves as a volunteer in Garfield County where her children are 4-H’ers.

“The greatest gift you can give is your time,” Quintero said. “That can be time to help others, to lead others, to teach others and to empower others. But I think empowering others is the most important because we can teach them and lead them, but until they are empowered to take that duty on and do it themselves without us there holding their hand, that’s the job of a volunteer leader.”

The Oklahoma Master Gardener Volunteer Program is another avenue through OSU Cooperative Extension in which people can volunteer.

David Hillock, OSU Cooperative Extension consumer horticulturist and statewide coordinator for the Master Gardener Program, said the volunteers are extremely valuable in their communities.

“We’re seeing a marked increase in home gardening across the state and the country. Couple that with rapid urban growth and an increasing number of garden and landscape inquiries, Master Gardeners play a vital role in Oklahoma,” Hillock said.

The objective of the program is to provide participants with the tools and knowledge they need so they can then share this knowledge and volunteer gardening services in their communities. The Master Gardener Program has proven over the years to be a highly popular means of extending knowledge to the residents of Oklahoma.

Vince Gianotti has always enjoyed gardening and thought becoming a certified Master Gardener would be a good way to not only hone his gardening skills, but help others, too.

“I was interested in improving my own gardening skills, but the community involvement aspect of the Master Gardener Program was really appealing,” said Gianotti, who just finished the course for the Master Gardener Program. “It makes gardening bigger than my own self interests. While I gain a better understanding of gardening, I like that I’m also helping educate other people in best practices and getting their gardens off the ground.”

Participants in the program receive between 40 and 56 hours of course work on subjects dealing with basic plant science, vegetables, fruits, nuts, ornamentals, lawns, diagnosing pest problems, soils and other related topics. Upon completing the coursework and passing an exam, class members donate about 56 hours of volunteer time in their communities before being certified as a Master Gardener.

Knoepfli said volunteer opportunities can be found just about anywhere, and the impact is substantial.

“You’d be amazed the impact volunteers have on others. Sometimes you may not see it right away, but it’s there,” she said.

For more information about becoming a certified 4-H volunteer, contact Knoepfli at 405-744-8882. Those interested in the Master Gardener Volunteer Program may contact Hillock at 405-744-5158 for additional information.