Our Time, Your Time

1
Our Time, Your Time

• Corinne Gilbert
• Michael Gras
• Lauren Begin
• Shane Sinda
• William McCune
• Faris Al Khaldi

2
Client Background

• Provide Care to the Elderly of Houghton County
• Funds are Received by Residents and County Taxes
• Located in Hancock, MI

3
Client Interaction

• Contacts
• Jim Nutini - Administrator
• Chris Lehto Activities Supervisor
• Ron Ekdahl Grounds and Maintenance
• Very Friendly to Overall Concept
• Not Much Time to Commit Finding a
  Gardener/Landscaper
• Quite willing to do their part to help out
  whenever possible
• Through Such Gestures as Offering to Buy Supplies
  and Contact Potential Sources

4
Review of Team Goal

• Assist Houghton County Medical Care Facility
  (HCMCF)
• Previously
• No Master Gardener
• No Landscaping Program

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5
Review of Plan of Action

• Locate a Master Gardener willing to volunteer
• Have him/her assess the grounds and come up with
  updates to the garden
• Collect volunteers that would like to help the
  Master Gardener during a volunteer day and also
  on a regular basis.
• Plan a day when all the volunteers can come
  together and help update the garden.

6
Difficulties

• Finding Master Gardener Volunteers
• No Response
• Communication Barriers
• Delay with Client Other Groups
• Setting Appointments with Individual Landscapers

7
Progression of Goal

• Changes made to adapt to new situations.
• Creating an event w/o Gardener and Plan
• Hiring Private Landscaping Firms
• Reaching Out to Community Groups
• More Emphasis on Families and Community
  Volunteers.
• Professional Gardener required by HCMCF
• Gardener had to be certified
• Could not be completed by non-professional

8
Other Solutions

• Landscaper had to be hired and paid due to lack
  of Professional Gardener Volunteers.
• Community Volunteers would serve as the grunt
  work
• Possibly lower the Landscaping cost.

9
Additional Contacts Efforts

• Michigan State Extension
• E-mailed Full Contact List of Local MG
• Visited and Called Local Greenhouses and
  Landscaping Firms.
• Created Information Pamphlet
• Delivered Volunteer Invitations to Churches and
  Local Groups

10
Current Client Reaction

• Apathetic Towards OTYTs Goal
• Dismissal of Goal
• Canceled Gardening Event
• Unable to Re-establish New Event Until After
  Summer Track Deadline
• Nutini Out of Town
• This is High Quality Work In Response to
  Pamphlet. Chris Lehto

11
Overcoming Challenges

• Main Challenge Overcoming Third Party (Lack of)
  Cooperation
• No response from Master Gardener List
• No Clear Response on Donations from Greenhouses
• Little Response from Landscaping Firms
• Other Difficulties
• Communication Errors with HCMCF
• Failed Challenges
• Master Gardener
• Gardening Event

12
Sustainability

• What is Necessary?
• Increased Volunteer Involvement
• Churches
• HS Honor Students
• Families
• MTU Student Orgs.
• Detailed contact list for HCMCF
• Leave final report and contacts

• What could help?
• Another Community Service Inc. Division to
  Continue Our Efforts This Fall.
• Ensure that HCMCF Understands Team Goals.

13
Master Gardener Found!

• Assistance From Fellow Classmate, Todd
• MG has begun contact with HCMCF
• Looking for Service Hours, and Work Afterward

14
Evaluation

• Moved Project Forward
• Through Creation of Pamphlets and Letters to the
  Community.
• Emphasized importance of Family Interaction in
  Garden
• Set Backs
• Time Constraints
• At Times, Little Understanding From HCMCF

15
Questions???