During the month of February, Megan Mauer conducted 3 LEAP
(Literacy, Eating and Activity for Preschoolers) trainings for the Campagna Center, Alexandria Head Start programs.

Head Start Teachers and Assistant Teachers at Jefferson Houston, John Adams, NOVA and Early Head Starts all in Alexandria are now beginning the LEAP program with their students. Fridays in March, Megan will assist with the Master Food Volunteer Trainings being held in Fairfax and Arlington.

It’s almost that time of year! Yes, 4-H camp is just around the corner. As of now we are accepting applications for camp counselors and C.I.T’s (Counselors in Training). Later this month we will start accepting applications for 4-H campers. This year camp will be held from Sunday, July 7 to Thursday, July 11. This popular camp is the ultimate camp experience. 4-H camp programs consist of leadership, environmental and aquatic science, performing arts, forestry, outdoor adventures, animal science, horsemanship, science, and technology. Youth will have the opportunity to learn and have fun in a safe environment.

For more information and applications for 4-H camp
visit our website at www.ext.vt.edu/offices/arlington under the news section.

This March, Katie and Jennifer couldn’t be happier to be
training such an exciting group of Master Food Volunteers.
Thanks to referrals from our partners and enhanced marketing
strategies, we have doubled the size of this year’s training class!
Volunteers will help residents learn practical skills to eat healthy
and be active, through educational partnerships with childcare
providers, community gardens, senior centers, and more.

My name is Dan Redmond, the interim VCE Master
Gardener Coordinator. I had the pleasure of completing the
Master Gardening training course in 2012, and I am currently a
VCE MG trainee. Although I have only taken the MG course,
I have gardened for food production about eight years, the last
four of which was used for distribution to those in need at my
son’s elementary school. I remember my preschool days in the
vegetable garden with my mother, and enjoy seeing my young
boys delight in the fruits of their garden labors.
In 2012, I also completed a graduate degree in
Sustainability and Environmental Management, researching
water use for energy production and community resilience to
climate change. Other interests are urban agriculture, solar
power, and electrical vehicles. Our home and car are partly
powered by energy from the sun. I also regularly go on
gleaning excursions for AFAC to local farms; with a corps of
other volunteers, we can often harvest 1,000-2,000 pounds of
fresh produce on a Saturday morning. Feel free to ask me
questions about these topics if we share similar interests.
I look forward to working with you on VCE
programming as the growing season commences!