Abbie Dillon thanks GMGA for the 2020 scholarship award and support. Abbie tells GMGA members: “My dream is to bring people of all backgrounds closer to the food they eat. To do this I hope to get more veggies and fruits into urban areas. There are too many empty green spaces out there begging to be planted with edibles and native plants!”
Abbie will be formally introduced as our 2020 Scholarship recipient during the annual conference on November 13th-14th. More information about our conference can be found here.
Scholarship Fund History
In 2011, W.H. Smith, who was the President of the GMGA Organization at the time, began a quest for GMGA to have its own scholarship fund at the University of Georgia. In January 2014, just three short years after beginning the quest, sufficient funds were collected to fully fund a scholarship.
The Scholarship is awarded by the Department of Horticulture to a junior or senior major who is a Georgia resident. Because the Georgia Master Gardener program enhances and supports the work of Extension, special consideration will be given to students who express an interest in pursuing careers in Extension.
The UGA Foundation is administering the GMGA Scholarship Fund, and all Master Gardeners, local Master Gardener groups, GMGA Sponsors and friends are encouraged to contribute. Our initial fund amount was $26,625, but, the larger the endowment, the greater the benefits to future generations of horticulture students.
Tax deductible donations can be made to the Scholarship Fund or to the Georgia Master Gardeners Organization by clicking this link.