Teamwork

When I was working, I really enjoyed collaborating with a team to achieve a common goal. Over the past few months, I have been fortunate to participate with a great team of fellow Master Gardeners to help put on the annual spring plant sale.

Even though we all have different interests and experiences, the group of volunteers came together to make the sale successful. There were defined roles, which really helped. Two co-chairs, both of whom had been involved with the plant sale for several years, took charge. They assigned others to lead up different aspects, and the rest of us helped out wherever we happened to be needed at that time. And the co-chairs were clear on their objectives, so we all knew what we needed to do to assist.

I was one of the worker bees, and had no specific responsibilities to carry out. That was a very fun change for me! That meant I could work on different tasks, and therefore learn new things, each week. The months leading up to the sale, I spent most of my time getting plants ready: planting seeds, re-potting seedlings into larger pots, watering, and trimming. As sale day approached, we worked to arrange all like plants together, and get them ready for transport. We helped with packaging, pricing, and labeling. We arranged the plants into the staging area so that they could be moved efficiently. Once all the plants were in place, we checked to ensure that everything was clean and inviting.

The day of the sale, we all showed up bright and early for a group photo. The weather was perfect: sunny, and not too warm. There was a big crowd waiting for the doors to open, and we were very busy with happy customers. People had lots of questions, and we were able to answer them or find someone who could. Children enjoyed the succulent bar, where they could select a pretty pot, choose plants of their choice, and add decorative accents. For older customers who needed a little more help, we found ways to make the process easier and more comfortable. I enjoyed myself immensely; my face hurt from smiling so much.

Soon, we will have a debriefing session, to see what worked and what did not. The co-chairs for next year have already been identified, so they will hit the ground running. I feel very proud to have been a part of this amazing team, and am grateful to have been allowed to serve in a small but very fun way.