Smith wins national Master Gardener award

BY MIKE CLARDY, ACES

AUBURN — The Extension Master Gardener program, with a presence in all 50 states, Canada and South Korea, named Kerry Smith of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System winner of its 2024 Distinguished Coordinator award.

Smith received the award at the program’s annual conference Aug. 27 in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

“It has been a tremendous honor to work on the Home Grounds team,” Smith said. “These agents are the most dedicated folks I know, and I lack words to fully thank them for this nomination.”

Smith has been a leader in home horticulture with Alabama Extension for more than 20 years. She has guided the development and successful launch of three noteworthy statewide programs. These include the Alabama Smart Yards series, the Harvest for Health Study and the Grow More, Give More project.

“Working with the Extension Master Gardener volunteer program has given me many rewarding experiences,” Smith said. “In addition to three impactful research projects, collectively Harvest for Health, it’s been gratifying to watch this program evolve from a mini-horticulture training into full-fledged team of agents and volunteers who teach Alabamians about home horticulture.”

Smith has also been proactive in collaborating with regional and national partners to deliver innovative programming. She contributed to developing the first Advanced Master Gardener certification in Water Smart Landscape Design by engaging with her counterparts at Clemson University and North Carolina State University. In 2010, she was a leader in this multi-state team of specialists and agents. Collectively, the team delivered advanced training to volunteers in Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina.

“Kerry’s contributions go well beyond Alabama Extension,” said Mike Phillips, director of Alabama Extension. “She serves on committees of the National Initiative for Consumer

Horticulture, among others, and the impact of her work is felt in communities across the country. Her impactful work demonstrates her commitment to advancing horticulture on a national scale.”

At Auburn University, Smith has made a difference over the years as a leader of the Home Grounds team.

“Kerry is very deserving of this honor,” said Becky Barlow, Alabama Extension assistant director for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources programs. “Her dedication, innovation and leadership have significantly advanced our programs and positively impacted the communities we serve.”

Since 2020, Smith has initiated and executed the Strategic Assessment of the Alabama Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Program, conducting numerous focus groups and surveys. This effort culminated in a comprehensive five-year strategic plan. Finalized in late 2023, this plan updated the mission, vision, guiding principles and objectives of the program.

Savings possible thanks to new prescription law

CONTRIBUTED BY AARP

ALABAMA — AARP released a report that shows an estimated 61,000 Alabamians on Medicare prescription drug plans will see savings thanks to a new out-of-pocket cap that starts Jan. 1, 2025. The savings are made possible by a provision in the 2022 prescription drug law that AARP championed which caps out-of-pocket prescription drug costs every year, beginning at $2,000 next year, for America’s 56 million Medicare drug plan enrollees.

The AARP report analyzes the number of enrollees who will benefit from the cap by state, age, gender and race between

2025 and 2029. The findings indicate that Medicare drug plan enrollees nationwide who reach the new out-of-pocket cap will see average savings of roughly $1,500, or 56%, in 2025 for their prescription drugs.

“AARP fought hard for the prescription drug law of 2022 because we knew it would provide crucial relief for Medicare enrollees here in Alabama and across the country by lowering drug prices and out-of-pocket costs,” said Candi Williams, state director of AARP Alabama, which serves more than 400,000 members age 50 and older in the state

“Knowing they won’t pay a dime over $2,000 next year – maximum – for prescription drugs they get at the pharmacy gives Alabama seniors on Medicare drug plans some peace of mind as they struggle to keep up with rising costs for other everyday essentials like housing, groceries and utilities.”

Other findings from the report include:

• Between 3 and 4 million Part D plan enrollees nationwide are estimated to benefit from the new out-of-pocket cap every year between 2025 and 2029, including more than 61,000 here in Alabama.

• By 2029, the share of enrollees benefiting from the new out-ofpocket cap is estimated to be 10 percent or higher in 19 states, includ- ing Alabama, plus the District of Columbia.

More than three-quarters of Medicare drug plan enrollees who will benefit in 2025 are between the ages of 65 and 84.

“Limiting how much seniors on Medicare drug plans pay for prescription drugs every year builds on other new and important cost-saving measures, such as capping insulin co-pays at $35 a month and making many vaccines, such as shingles and pneumonia, free,” said Williams.

About AARP

AARP is the nation’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering

Americans 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to the more than 100 million Americans 50-plus and their families: health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. AARP also works for individuals in the marketplace by sparking new solutions and allowing carefully chosen, high-quality products and services to carry the AARP name. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org/ about-aarp/, www.aarp. org/español or follow @ AARP, @AARPenEspañol and @AARPadvocates on social media.

REACH >> from A1 to provide a variety of platforms for advertising, branding and networking that will help your business reach new heights. The REACH campaign chair will be the leader of the campaign bringing validity of the initiative to both the community and volunteers. It is important that this individual be a strong business leader in the community, a strategic Chamber partner and willing to encourage the volunteers. The Chamber said it is excited to see what Knight will accomplish during this year’s REACH Campaign.