Marlene Mayes

Marlene Mayes has introduced thousands of children to the world of agriculture and horticulture at the 4-H Education Center at Auerfarm in Bloomfield, Connecticut, where she has volunteered for 16 years. At Auerfarm she manages both 
the teaching greenhouse and the Foodshare demonstration garden, having grown the latter from a small in-ground project to a 50+ raised-
bed intensive production garden, which is used to engage youth in planting and harvesting over two 
tons of produce annually, as well as teaching them about food sources, biology, and chemistry. She has pioneered educational programs to bring school children to the farm and into greenhouses and gardens, while getting their hands in the soil. She 
has created programming for students with special needs or in need of service hours, Girl Scouts, 4-Hers, and numerous other groups. As a result
of her tireless efforts, roughly 1,200 school children now visit Auerfarm monthly, often leaving with a plant they have planted.