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Awards through AL-ANREP are voted on by active membership. Applications will be open February 4 – March 4. Applicants must be a paid member of AL-ANREP by the deadline of the award in order to be eligible. Send applications to Adam Maggard at adm0074@auburn.edu.

Membership Awards

Outstanding Adult Education Program Award

This award is to honor the adult programming efforts of AL ANREP educators. Innovative and impactful programs successfully advance Extension outreach toward a new audience, an existing audience in a new way, or some combination of both, while also increasing the stewardship and/or production of Alabama’s natural resources. Applications should document need, a well-designed education and outreach effort, evaluation methods, and program outcomes/impacts. Individual and team efforts are encouraged for consideration. For a team program to be considered, the majority of team members must be AL ANREP members.

Outstanding Youth Education Program Award

This award is to honor the efforts of AL ANREP education efforts toward youth (18 years and younger). Innovative and impactful youth programing successfully advance Extension outreach toward a young audience to increase natural resources awareness, appreciation, and stewardship. Applications should document need, a well-designed education and outreach effort, evaluation methods, and program.

Outstanding Media Product Award

This award is to honor the media efforts of AL ANREP educators. Innovative and impactful media products (i.e. publications, articles, videos, marketing, websites, blogs, etc.) successfully advance Extension’s reach into either a new audience, an existing audience in a new way, or some combination of both, while at the same time increasing the stewardship and/or production of Alabama’s natural resources. Applications should document need, a well-designed education and outreach product, strong editing, graphics, design, evaluation methods, and program outcomes/impacts. Individual and team efforts are encouraged for consideration. For a team program to be considered, the majority of team members must be AL ANREP members.

Service Award

Friends of AL ANREP AWARD

The purpose of this award is to recognize an individual or organization for their support of and enthusiasm for Natural Resources Extension Education at the county, regional, or statewide level in Alabama. Nominations are reviewed by AL ANREP members.

Individual awardees should be someone who has made significant impacts to further natural resources education. They cannot be a member of the state or national ANREP organization. However, they can be a member of any other Extension professional organization as well as a natural resource professional, administrator, educator, or citizen volunteer. Organizational awardees can be any appropriate agency, group, family, or association, excluding any of the Extension professional associations. Ideally, they should be characterized by having a group of individuals (two or more) that have collectively made significant impacts in furthering natural resources education through Extension education programs.

President – Adam Maggard, Extension specialist

President-Elect – Wesley Anderson, Extension specialist

Immediate Past President – Ryan Mitchell, regional Extension agent

Secretary – Drew Metzler, regional Extension agent

Treasurer – Bence Carter, regional Extension agent

Melissa Voynich, the Alabama Cooperative Extension System coordinator for Dale County, received the 2023 Ozark Area Chamber of Commerce Community Involvement Award Feb. 22, at the Ozark Business Excellence Awards.

Voynich said the award is indicative of the work Dale County Extension does in the community.

“We were so excited to receive this award because it reflects the amazing contributions of our whole team,” Voynich said. “We are all proud to serve this area.”

In the past calendar year, Dale County Extension professionals helped thousands of youths and adults in at least two to three programs per week. The office reaches 3,000 each month with newsletters and newspaper articles, as well as interacting with residents every day through phone or walk-in services. While assisting more than 750 youths in grades 4 through 6, they visited every school in Dale County, one Ozark City School, the Boys and Girls Club, and other community gatherings as requested.

Pictured from left to right: Dale County Administrative Associate Zandi Foss, Miss Ozark and Chamber Ambassador Savannah Pedroza, Dale County Extension Coordinator Melissa Voynich, and EFNEP agent Abigail Shehee.