UConn Gives

Today: Matching Gifts for our Master Gardeners

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master gardener volunteers in front of a gardenIt’s the final day of UConn Gives! Yesterday was a great day as we reached the halfway mark towards our $20,000 goal. So many of you stepped up and donated to the Master Gardener program – Thank you to all who have donated thus far!

But now it’s the home stretch and we’re hoping to finish as the group with the most donors. If we do, the Master Gardener program receives an additional $5,000 from the UConn Foundation AND an additional $500 from our college’s dean, Indrajeet Chaubey.

We finished yesterday in first place, but keeping the top spot is not guaranteed.

If you have already donated, thank you! If you haven’t, please consider a modest donation that will add to our donor tally. Your $5 or $10 donation could be the one that puts an additional $5,500 in our account. Generous folks like you who understand the good that Master Gardeners do in our communities can make the difference in this campaign.

Your gift will support the program by providing financial resources, meaning we can concentrate on what we do best – gardening and teaching. As a primarily self-funded program, any amount is appreciated – and, whether it’s $5, $25 or $100, your donation gets us closer to the $5,500 bonus!

Please help us grow our future – go to https://givingday.uconn.edu./o/university-of-connecticut-32/i/uconn-gives-2023/s/uconn-extension-master-gardeners-muw11dlx8 before 7 PM TODAY. Thank you!

Why Support Extension During UConn Gives

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It’s UConn Gives, a 36-hour giving initiative that brings UConn Nation together to support and celebrate what they care about at UConn. We are asking you to support our Extension programs during this event. Matt Syrotiak and Stacey Stearns share information about the 4-H and Master Gardener programs, and why your support of $5 can help these programs grow and expand:

https://youtu.be/xedJje7h0Fg

https://youtu.be/VjiUH4VkOtU

Support these programs at s.uconn.edu/givetogardeners and https://s.uconn.edu/give4-H23.

All Paws In – Join Us for UConn Gives

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UConn Gives All Paws In logo

In a time of extraordinary circumstances, UConn has adapted by seeking new opportunities and new ways to keep UConn Nation connected in a socially distant world. Through all the change and uncertainty, there has been one constant—our commitment to providing an exceptional education to our program participants. During this year’s UConn Gives, a 36-hour giving initiative, you can celebrate this commitment to excellence through giving. We invite you to join us on Tuesday, March 23rd and Wednesday, March 24th in supporting one or more of our initiatives:

Extension programs cover the full spectrum of topics aligned with CAHNR’s strategic initiatives:

  • Ensuring a vibrant and sustainable agricultural industry and food supply
  • Enhancing health and well-being locally, nationally, and globally
  • Advancing adaptation and resilience in a changing climate
  • Designing sustainable landscapes across urban-rural interfaces

Our educators faced the unprecedented challenges of 2020 and pivoted programs to offer life transformative education despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Programs delivered by Extension reach individuals, communities, and businesses in each of the 169 municipalities across the state.

UConn Extension Gives Back

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UConn Extension has a long history of delivering high-quality educational experiences to the citizens of Connecticut. These programs enhance the wellbeing of families, communities, and businesses across the state. Extension faculty and staff plan and implement programs, and feel a deep sense of pride and commitment to extending knowledge, and very often, changing lives in the process.

Many Extension employees and retirees feel strongly about the need to give back to the organization that gave them their livelihood. Two of UConn Extension’s generous donors, one a current employee and the other retired, explain why they give back, and what it means to see their contributions enhance the lives of others.

Nancy Bull
Nancy Bull

Nancy Bull, Extension Professor

“Why give? Giving was part of my growing up as I watched my parents involved with my dad’s students and my mom’s social organizations. When I started in Extension, I saw how much 4-H volunteers gave of their time and talents, and how unselfish they were. While we did not always agree on how to do something, or why we should do so, had it not been for the volunteers involved in the 4-H and county fair programs, there would have not been the opportunity for so many youth to learn and grow.

It is the give and take between and among our engaged volunteers that is humbling for me. Giving of time is not always possible, and so at times I have chosen to give money. I have seen what our Connecticut volunteers can do with donated funds given by others, and what a difference those funds can make.

Over the decades of being involved with 4-H I have watched volunteers who had very little in material goods, give
of their time over and over again, even when their opinions were not always in line with mine. As we watch youth grow and evolve, I can see the next generation of volunteers emerging. Hopefully a few dollars here or there will make their roles and responsibilities a little easier, and the load a little lighter.”

Carole Eller, Retired Extension Educator

“I began working for Cooperative Extension with the 4-H Youth Development Program when I was in college. For two summers I was the water- front Director at Nassau County 4-H Camp. It was there I learned that women didn’t need to be Home Economists to be educators. My first job was in Niagara County, NY. Here, I was able to do wonderful things for low-income girls. I got people to donate money that allowed girls in the summer program to be taken to dinner at an up-scale restaurant, a first experience, and high school students to attend a concert and summer stock performance. I could see the importance of private donations to the lives of 4-Hers.

I was non-traditional in many ways. 4-H was not all cows and cooking. I worked in New Jersey, and then came to Connecticut in the mid 1970’s. First, working in Windham County and then Tolland. At about this time, Elsie Trabue, a former secretary in the state office died and left a trust fund with the university for 4-H. This money had few, if any strings attached, and it provided funds for rich experiences for kids. She set an example for me. I want all children to have the experiences of a 4-H program, not necessarily in a specific project area, but citizenship, leadership, science and technology. I hope that my contributions help future Extension Educators have the resources to keep reaching out and expanding kids horizons, making the world exciting in positive ways.”

As we look to the future of Extension and the ability to provide innovative programming that impacts families and communities across the state, support is needed more than ever.

To make a donation, visit the UConn Extension Online Giving Page at s.uconn.edu/extension

Article by Nancy Wilhelm

Join Us for #UConnGives

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UConn Gives logo

UConn Gives is BACK for year two. And we need your help to grow our programs, and continue serving Connecticut communities. Put your paws in by supporting UConn 4-H, the UConn Extension Master Gardener Program, the 4-H Sports and Nutrition program, or the Natural Resources Conservation Academy on March 27-28, 2019. 

Extension program collage

All four of these programs work in communities statewide, and we need your help to increase their impact. Please consider donating $1 (or more) to the program(s) of your choice.

#AllPawsIn

All Paws In Today!

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UConn Gives graphic“The lessons and experiences I have gained from this trip will remain with me forever as the most exciting and rewarding opportunity 4-H has ever given me.” These are the words of a 4-H teen returning home from National 4-H Congress. The 4-H Centennial Fund makes it possible for teens to attend these amazing leadership opportunities. Please give to the 4-H Centennial Fund on UConn Giving Day.

All Paws In! Support 4-H on UConn’s Giving Day

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UConn Gives All Paws In logo

4-H member at Vietnam Memorial in Washington DCWe’re excited to announce that UConn Gives, the University’s first ever Giving Day, is April 4-5, 2018. Please take this opportunity to support the 4-H Centennial Fund. Visit Extension’s Giving Day page to make your gift of any amount. For more information on UConn Gives, go to givingday.uconn.edu.

The 4-H Centennial Fund has been a tremendous asset in helping youth in Connecticut experience 4-H opportunities and enhance their leadership, citizenship, and STEM skills. Established in 2002 to celebrate the 100th birthday of the National 4-H Program, the 4-H Centennial Fund allows youth to participate in national 4-H trips and statewide events–and, most of all, have fun while learning and trying new things.

Whether your support to the 4-H Centennial Fund sends delegates to the National 4-H Conference, increases Expressive Arts Day participants, or helps volunteers attend a training, you can truly make a difference to the 4-H youth and volunteers of Connecticut. To learn more about 4-H please visit http://www.4-h.uconn.edu.