Who: Mary Spiewak, 62, of Mettawa is a volunteer master gardener with the University of Illinois Extension-Lake County, an off-campus education arm of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
What she does: University of Illinois Extension offers classes to the public on many topics, including gardening, food preservation and farming. Master gardeners provide research-based information to clubs, schools and organizations through its speakers bureau and a hot line for homeowners.
“As a master gardener, it’s a fun thing to do,” said Spiewak, who has a degree in biology and worked at Abbott Laboratories for 20 years. “You get out there, and [the groups] want you there and know what you’re talking about. It’s a captive audience, and everyone wants to learn. One of the main goals of a master gardener is to educate.”
Through the call-in hot line, homeowners can get free professional advice on such things as gardening, insects and disease problems. While master gardeners do not go to individual homes, homeowners can send in photos or drop off samples of diseased plants or insects for identification to the extension office.
“The information we give to the community is all based on scientific data,” Spiewak said. “There are no old wives’ tales going out. A lot of resources on the Internet are not reliable because they are not scientifically based.”
Why she does it: In addition to educating the public, Spiewak also likes that it helps beautify the community.
“It helps people take care of their property. … More and more are considering the environment and not constantly grabbing for an insecticide or pesticide to keep plants healthy,” she said.
Spiewak also works with Habitat for Humanity’s Gardening Together program, in which she and other volunteers mentor Habitat homeowners, helping them design a garden, plant in the spring and learn how to care for plants and vegetables.
“It’s really very fulfilling as a master gardener,” she said. “They are so proud of their homes and want them to look nice. The kids get involved, and year to year you can see the significant changes in the homes. It really helps the neighborhoods.”
How you can help: Master gardener volunteers should have a desire to work with people, an interest in gardening and sufficient time for training and volunteering. Training will be held from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Fridays, Jan. 8 to March 26 in the University of Illinois Extension office, 100 S. U.S. Highway 45, Grayslake. After training, volunteers donate 60 hours to the program, mainly during the day between April and December. Applications are due Oct. 7. Call Sharon Yiesla at 847-223-8627.