Master Gardeners Ron Trexler and Donna Miller were among the awardees at the annual Spirit of NH Awards hosted by Volunteer NH.
Among the awardees at the Spirit of NH Awards were several who had connections to the UNH Extension Master Gardeners program. The annual celebration, held by Volunteer NH, took place Oct. 27 at the Capitol Center for the Arts.
According to the Volunteer NH website, the awards have been given out every year since 2003 and are intended to spotlight those who “go above and beyond” in answering the call to service, often doing so without recognition.
Two individual Master Gardeners found themselves in the spotlight this year: Donna Miller and Ron Trexler.
Miller has been a Master Gardener since 2010, and since 2021 has been an Advanced Master Gardener specializing in pollinator gardening. She has since become a trusted advisor and consultant for dozens of volunteers starting or expanding pollinator gardens, many of which are found at community institutions such as schools, libraries, or youth centers. In her own community of Canterbury, New Hampshire, Miller organizes a town-wide plant swap and staffs an “Ask a Master Gardener” booth at the town’s farmers market.
Trexler, also an Advanced Master Gardener, has been volunteering with the program since 2015. He delivers more than 20 presentations each year, as well as training and mentoring other volunteers to act as ambassadors for UNH Extension. Trexler’s dedication to the Master Gardener program is evident in his role as a teaching assistant for the 12-week class for new volunteers, which he has done for the past seven years, and more recently as membership chair for the NH Master Gardener Alumni Association.
Other gardeners were recognized as groups.
The volunteers who staff the UNH Extension Education, a group of about 40 Master Gardeners, receive and answer more than 3,000 gardening-related questions posed via the Yard & Garden info line.
The Community Hospice House Gardeners, a team of volunteers who tend to the plants at the Community Hospice House in Merrimack, have a wide range of experience and knowledge – including some Master Gardeners – but all share a desire to create a moment of peace for people experiencing difficult times. The team provides more than 1,000 hours of service each year.
For more about the awards, including a full list of recipients, visit volunteernh.org.
