An area Master Gardener has received an Outstanding Master Gardener award at the Illinois State Master Gardener Conference in East Moline on September 6th. The recognition goes to Deb Durnal-Corso of Andalusia. The award was established to honor the best of Illinois Master Gardeners. Only 2% of Illinois State Master Gardeners win the award annually. Criteria for award winners is they must exceed in leadership, determination, positivity and be highly involved in the program.
According to the University of Illinois Extension, Durnal-Corso is always willing to lend a hand and is involved in a variety of Master Gardener projects, whether via leadership or on the backside following up on details. Deb shares her creative writing and computer skills by working with Extension horticulture staff to make educational and “how to” pamphlets on gardening and on specific plants and vegetables. She writes articles for the “Dig It!” Master Gardener newsletter, develops power points for the Master Gardener’s Speaker’s Bureau, and writes the educational signs for the Master Gardener’s display garden at the QCCA Expo Center’s Flower & Garden Show. She also volunteers to help with the MonArc Pollinator Patch project at The Arc of the Quad Cities. She is Intern Mentor for new Master Gardeners, helping them understand their role and find projects and connections to help them be successful.