Community Foundation of Northeast Alabama Blog

CFNEA Fundholder Spotlight: The Calhoun County Master Gardeners Association

The Calhoun County Master Gardeners Association (CCMGA) met on Wednesday, August 14, 2026, and CFNEA was proud to attend and present the CFNEA regional mosaic. This art piece is shaped to resemble our 9-county region, handcrafted by Calhoun County’s local metallurgist and jewelry designer, Sarah Cavender.

Each fund at CFNEA has the opportunity to adorn the mosaic with a token meaningful to their organization. CCMGA chose a charming blue floral piece with an off-white center embellishment to represent their love of organic growth and floral beauty. CCMGA’s fund with the Community Foundation is intended to create opportunities and engage in activities related to horticultural science and charitable initiatives throughout the county.

The Alabama Master Gardeners is a volunteer-based educational program offered through the county offices of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. They provide 50 hours of classroom and hands-on instruction in horticulture and related areas, as well as classes for home gardeners. In exchange for the training, participants return an equal amount of volunteer service time on projects that benefit their communities. These projects can range from working on community horticultural projects to helping answer questions through the County Extension office to conducting garden club programs. There is a minimal registration fee to cover the cost of the training manual and supplies for the Master Gardener Class.