resolution honoring Cooperative Extension volunteers

27:27Okay. I will close public comment. Now we'll go to resolutions. So there is one.

27:32All right. If you are here um with a cooperative extension volunteers, please uh step up to the podium. There should be

27:42Quite a few.

27:48Well, I wore the right color. Yeah

27:51she did. Me too.

28:07Yeah, because I'm just gonna do that.

28:10All right, so I'll start and by reading the resolution. Resolution number twenty-six-one nine one, a resolution by the Board of County Commissioners in Pasco County, Florida. honoring Pasco County Cooperative Extension volunteers for the commitment to Pasco County. Whereas Volunteer Appreciation Month is designed and is designated in April to honor volunteers worldwide who strengthen communities and recognize their impact on the community. And whereas Pasco County 4 H volunteers have demonstrated outstanding commitment

28:40by providing guiding Uh guidance and positive experience to Pasco County's youth with more than 6,040 volunteer hours in 2025. NRES, Pasco County Master Gardener volunteers have demonstrated outstanding commitment by providing exceptional education and outreach impacts to the citizens of Pasco County and contributed more than 9,691 volunteer hours and 2,145 continuing education units in 2025. And whereas Pasco County One-Stop Shop Pantry volunteers

29:10have demonstrated outstanding commitment through the coordination and pickup, packaging, and loading of donated pantry food for more than 80,000 Pasco County citizens in just two years and contributed more than 6,753 volunteer hours in 2025. And whereas in 2025, the Livestock Program Extension Volunteers contributed 140,000. 40 hours to the program by assisting with Pasco County Fair Responsibilities, Youth Education, On-site consultations, and contest for producers.

29:42ANRAS, the C Grant Program Extension Volunteers, assists with the education of citizens and new initiatives designed to strengthen Pasco's resilience while improving the coastal environment through programs such as Coastal Cleanup and contributed 1,954 volunteer hours in 2025. ANRAS, Florida-friendly landscaping volunteers, have demonstrated Dedicated service by assisting with ever with event setup, education, and construction of rain

30:12barrels, among other duties, by contributing 535 volunteer hours in 2025. And RAS, their efforts have significantly advanced the mission of Pasco County Board of County Commissioners and the University of Florida by providing rich cultural and educational experiences meeting the needs of Pasco County citizens. And by meeting those citizens where they are in life. ANRAS, their combined volunteer contributions of $17,567 donated hours in 2025 is the

30:42equivalent of $579,711 in donated services provided to Pasco County. ANRAS, we are honored to recognize these volunteers for their outstanding service. And dedication to Pasco County Cooperative Extension, the citizens of Pasco County, and the Pasco County Board of County Commissioners. Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Board of County Commissioners of Pasco County, Florida, that said board hereby dec be hereby honors the Pasco County Cooperative Extension volunteers and thanks them for their dedication to the

31:12citizens of Pasco County. Dunner resolved in regular session with a quorum present and voting this 21st day of April 30th. 2026.

31:19Move approval. Second. All in favor

31:21say aye. Aye. Aye. Mr. Oakley. Yes, sir. Geez, well I expected maybe to see Doctor Elmore.

31:31Barely see her for all the helpers. Worker bees she has and I'm sure y'all have done all those hours in only about a month.

31:39So

31:40let's think what y'all could do in a year. So but it's greatly appreciated for the citizens for you to be able to help the citizens of Pasco. A lot of times People are not close to what they really feel like they want to do in life, even in life as they get older. They want to do things and you make it available for them to be able to do these things. Because I know for a fact I've called Dr. Elmore and want to know about a community garden, and it wasn't like a gentleman come out

32:10and visit. me. So I know the education is there and y'all do a lot of good work for a lot of people. And helping them, uh you're helping them teach them how to provide food for themselves, especially on the community garden. But there's many many things that uh work right in with uh community garden and I certainly appreciate all of it that y'all do. That it um you're kind of the unsung heroes, you do all this work, and I mean that many hours, and you say, Oh, nobody even

32:40realized we do this, but yes, we realize you do it. And uh it's been going on for many, many years in Pasco County. Uh a county that's been very rural in the past has moved moved because a lot of people the people say, oh it's if they just quit building they they won't won't come. But they're coming because we have the best way of life here in Pasco County. And I've been here my entire life and I guarantee you that I wouldn't wanna leave anywhere else. Uh Pasco County

33:10is my home and uh be my home for ever. So but uh it's great that y'all are helping the citizen Pasco. They're very are much needed and y'all have done a great job in in making your presence, especially all the hours and all you're putting out there. So this it's unheard of fact that how many hours you put out there, a lot of people go around and don't realize you're even out there doing it, but there's a lot to be done and a lot more to be done. Um because that training is

33:40very important for our citizens. Thank you. Do you have a spokesman?

33:55First of all I just wanted to thank the board for recognizing these volunteers. Um I am proud and honored to stand here with a very small lesion of our hundreds of volunteers behind me. The Florida Cooperative Extension Service is a proud, well over 100-year-old institution operated by the Land Grant University System. And the mission at the end of the day, regardless of the program area, is to make people's lives better.

34:26And sometimes that looks like helping, you know, just kind of identify an insect or if a plant is invasive or something like that, all the way to, you know, think livestock for Pasco County. And yes, there are still lots of cattle in Pasco County. Um, but helping them to maybe expand, those ranchers to expand their business and to be um more effective. And to earn more money and to keep that local are 4-H volunteers helping to develop the

34:56next generation of leaders. here in Pasco County is tremendous, tremendously impactful and important in so many ways. Our Master Gardener volunteers, I want folks to understand this is not really about gardening. That is a very surface level concept for that program. It is about environmental education and benefits and certainly about water savings. That is really what their program is designed

35:26to do. And they do it in a phenomenal way. Our one-stop shop volunteers that help to feed thousands of folks, help to start new businesses, help to connect our citizens with other resources that the county provides is a tremendous service. I'm and it serves all of Pasco County. We are all across this county in every little nook and cranny. Um so I am honored to stand here with them and and be this spokesperson for folks

35:56that have such a tremendous impact in this county. I am so proud of them and again I appreciate the recognition that we're providing them, but I want to thank them for what they give. I mean it's blood, sweat, tears, and money that they put into this county. And um without them, we would have nothing. So thank you all.

36:17And it's it's a great thing that you're an extension of the cooperative services. it would be done if if y'all went and volunteered to get out there and help do it. There's a lot of people to meet and a lot of people to to see. I was just thinking through all the workers with 4 H and FFA students all over the county and through the fair, there's where you see a lot of projects, people learn how to take care of animals that if it hadn't been for a project like that, they may not have

36:47ever had an animal to take care of, a hog or Or a sticker or course or whatever you know they might be involved in. But I was thinking the other day I'd given back to uh FFA and 4 H students in my lifetime for 63 years through the fair helping them with their projects there. So it's it's great that I'll do the work you do all over the county. No matter what it be, we thank you very much for all your service. So

37:16And please join us on October 3rd at Wesley Chapel District.

37:22Go ahead and speak in front of the mic and please introduce yourselves as your friend.

37:27Please join us October the third at Wesley Chapel District Park. We are having Gardening Festival 365. We have many, many, many of the Pasco County um employees and organizations that will be there as well. But we would love to see every one of you there.

37:48So now I need you to introduce yourself.

37:50It is our tenth year.

37:51I need you to introduce yourself and then um the lady who spoke beforehand if you could also the record is audio so we need we need your name and if you'd like

37:58to I am Brenda White and I am the uh chair for three sixty five that will be held on October

38:07Good job. Good job. Very good. Nice job.

38:11And Dr. Elmo, we need to do that. Yes, please.

38:14If you would just state your name and um for the for so introduce yourself.

38:18And if you would send us an email about the event too, so we can like we'll publish that on the county page as well.

38:23I will be sure to get that to you. For sure. Thank you.

38:29Uh Whitney Almore, I'm the Cooperative Extension Director here in Pasco County. Thank you.

38:34Let's go down for a picture. If your l would ladies come up in front here, we're gonna stay back in.

38:46No, yeah. Please, please.

38:52I'm not sure.

39:03you know.

39:10And then just make sure anyone standing in the back row can see me and not the back of someone else's head. Can you step back a little bit? There you go.

39:22Ready?

39:46Any deserters?

39:50Do you know?