Susan Viravec of Sun City has received the State Outstanding Master Gardener Award, an honor given to only the top 1–2% of Illinois volunteers. She earned this award through her strong leadership and dedication, completing more than 120 volunteer hours and 10 hours of continuing education. Viravec has shared research-based gardening knowledge with the public and gone above and beyond the usual service requirements.
But Viravec hasn’t always known about her green thumb.
“My interest in gardening came rather late in life,” she said. “Unlike most avid gardeners, neither my parents nor my grandparents were particularly fond of planting flowers or vegetables.”
Viravec became interested in gardening after she bought a townhome that had large garden beds in 2001.
“I not only started to take an interest but also began to see firsthand the physical and mental benefits in tending a garden,” she said.
Viravec began taking classes from the University of Illinois Extension. She attended so regularly that the Extension Coordinator asked her to consider becoming a Master Gardener. To join the program, candidates must interview, attend many horticulture classes in person, and complete 40 hours of volunteer service. To keep her certification, she must do 30 hours of volunteer work and 10 hours of education each year.
Viravec said, “Many people believe that being a Master Gardener is having the best or prettiest garden, and though that may be true, the mission of the Master Gardener program is ‘Helping Others Learn to Grow’.”
As an intern, Viravec volunteered in many places to discover what she enjoyed most. “I found three projects that are dear to me: The Secret Garden Resident program at the DuPage Care Center, Cantigny Park, where I am a docent for garden tours and have worked in the Veterans Garden, and participating in public engagement help desks at libraries, churches, and civic and senior events.”
Viravec has been a docent for Cantigny Garden Tours and a member of the DuPage Care Center Secret Garden Team. She has also judged 4-H categories like visual arts, interior design, and food and nutrition at the DuPage County Fair. Her teamwork on the Cantigny Veterans’ Garden earned her the Master Gardener Teamwork Award, and she received the International Master Gardener Search for Excellence Team Award for her work in Horticultural Therapy for special needs groups. She is also certified through the University of Illinois Extension.
Viravec doesn’t let many things stop her. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Viravec started “Secrets from the Secret Garden,” a virtual program to connect with residents at the DuPage County Care Center who were feeling isolated. She still hosts this radio-style show every winter and leads other creative projects in DuPage County that help her community.
The announcement said, “You are recognized as an exceptional example to Master Gardeners within your unit as well as others in the state.”
Viravec has been volunteering at the DuPage Care Center since 2009. She received the award in person at the State Master Gardener Awards Ceremony in Springfield, Illinois.
“It has been my greatest joy to be a Master Gardener and to have worked with amazing individuals who are gracious to share their knowledge, expertise, and experience,” she said.
