The Indiana Master Gardener Conference was held at the Hendricks County Fairgrounds in Danville, Indiana. Steve Swain, Indiana AgrAbility rural rehabilitation specialist, presented a session on "Gardening Tools for People with Disabilities." The presentation included accessibility features to the garden, in the garden, and tools to make gardening easier. Many tools were displayed as examples.
The Indiana FFA Convention was held at Purdue University in the Elliot Hall of Music with over 2,000 FFA members attending. Among the awards presented were the Indiana AgrAbility Bridging Horizons Community Service Contest winners. Each entry was awarded $100 with the first-place winner receiving an additional $500 and second place winner receiving an additional $250 (from non-AgrAbility funds). The first-place winner was South Putnam FFA for a project in which they cleared a nature trail of trees, rocks, and other debris, and repaired bridges to make the trail accessible to all. The second-place winner was the North Miami FFA Chapter for constructing ramps for the stage in the school so that a chapter member in a wheelchair, as well as others, could access the stage for graduation.
Submitted by Steve Swain
July was a busy month for Indiana AgrAbility. Booths were set up at the Orange County REMC annual meeting and the Hoosier Uplands Area 15 Agency on Aging Health Fair at Paoli. County fairs began so AgrAbility was present at Washington and Jennings counties. Staff also attended the Women in Ag Lunch-n-Learn in Bedford. They also attended and had a booth at the trade show at the annual Indiana Rural Health Association conference in French Lick.
Submitted by Linda Tarr