More than 60 volunteers contributed to successful Farm Day in Prince George

We asked our research team to find out why so many people do not volunteer and the resounding response was, Because they were not asked.

Willie Bresko is a farmer in Prince George County, Virginia, who has volunteered his time and his farm with Virginia Cooperative Extension/Prince George 4-H for over a decade. I asked him why and he replied, Because I was asked.

This past week, Willie hosted our thirteenth annual Farm Day as he has done every year for the past 13 years. Second-graders from all the elementary schools in Prince George County about 450 students came to Willies farm last Tuesday to discover some of the major roles that agriculture plays in our daily lives.

As one of the teachers was leading her students back to the school bus, she told me, I have been to all of them (Farm Day events) this one was the best one ever!

The volunteers are the ones I have to thank for this great report.Volunteers like Willie Bresko who volunteered because he was asked.

Over 60 volunteers from Prince George Master Gardeners, Prince George 4-H, Prince George Farm Bureau, Virginia State University, Prince George Public Schools, Natural Resource Conservation Service, James River Soil and Water Conservation Service, Prince George Fire and EMS, Farm Bureau Womens Committee and a host of local citizens gave their time, energy and resources to make Farm Day a success.

Volunteers helped to provide eight learning stations: dairy cows, embryology, aquaculture, farm animals, field crops, vegetables, farm economics and soils. Volunteers provided lunch, served as mentors/guides, transported students, and an array of other tasks necessary to make the event a smashing success.

Director of Virginia Cooperative Extension Edwin Jones said, "The tremendous difference Virginia Cooperative Extension has made in the lives of Virginians over the past 100 years has been due in large measure to the contributions of the many dedicated and tireless volunteers."

Over 30,000 volunteers provided approximately 966,000 hours of service with Virginia Cooperative Extension in a single year. In that same year, 13,000 adult and youth volunteers served more than 185,000 youth ages 5 to 18 in hands-on educational programs designed to build leadership, citizenship, and life skills through Virginia 4-H.

Our volunteers are carefully screened and trained. Extension offers several master volunteer programs that provide training opportunities in gardening and horticulture; food, nutrition, and safety; natural resources management; water supply systems; financial management; and energy conservation.

If you are interested in volunteering, but not sure in what way, contact your local Extension office. They will be happy to help you find a way to share your time and talents.

Hermon Maclin is a Virginia Cooperative Extension Agent, specializing in 4-H youth development, with the Prince George County Extension Office. He can be reached at804-733-2686 ext. 102 or by email at hmaclin@vt.edu .

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Why people do not volunteer - Progress Index