Backcountry

Come assist Van Buren Shelter (https://ymcacolumbus.org/locations/vanburen) staff in serving dinners and cleaning up on the 3rd Tuesday of each month. Dinner for the women is 5-6 pm and for the families is 6:15-7:15 pm. There is ample free parking available in the shelter's lot. The recommended area to park is in green in the image above. There will be a new entrance for the time being. We are asking all volunteers to enter through the Donation Dock door, the orange mark on the image above. This door is located between the Single Adults and Family Shelter. You will see 2 large garage doors with a large green trash compactor in the center. Please head to the closest garage door to the building wall, with a ramp leading up. There, you will see a door with a sign stating instructions on how to enter the building. Please ring the doorbell, and a staff member will come and escort you into the building. If a staff member takes longer than 5 minutes, please call the front desk at 614-689-2020. This is a new process for us, and we do not want to keep you waiting! We appreciate your patience as we navigate this temporary change. The shelter needs a volunteer count the day before the event so sign-up ends Monday at 4:50 PM. Afterwards some of us go to the Omnipresent Atheists Weekly Meetup in progress to have a bit to eat or drink (http://www.meetup.com/omnipresentatheists/). Volunteers must be 14 or older. Since we will be working around families, the YMCA does not permit volunteering by individuals with convictions for violent or sexual crimes. The YMCA reserves the right to run background checks on volunteers. For questions, comment on this page or contact: Andrew, awhit12@yahoo.com, (614)937-5802 (cell). Please let Andrew know if you volunteer anytime other than our COUNT events so that he can count your hours toward our service record.

We will show a variety of methods for building agents that run in Microsoft Foundry. This covers the different types of agents: Prompt, Multi, and Hosted, as well as the development lifecycle using evals and traces.

Save the Date 🌱 The Licking County Master Gardener Volunteers invite you to the annual gardening conference, open to everyone who enjoys growing plants. 📅 Saturday, March 14, 2026 📍 OSU Newark Campus - Reese center 🎟️ Tickets go on sale in January and this event fills fast, sells out every year 🌿 2026 Theme: Unusual Gardens in Your Backyard You will hear practical ideas that help you rethink small spaces and try new approaches at home. This conference also arrives at the perfect time of year. It helps soothe the urge to get outside while winter is still around. Central Ohio gardeners wait until late May to plant outdoors, so this day helps you plan and daydream about spring projects. Speakers • Joseph Tychonievich, author of Rock Gardening: Reimagining a Classic Style • Debra Knapke, The Garden Sage • Denise Schreiber, author of Eat Your Roses You will find vendors, a silent raffle, and friendly conversations with other gardeners. Registration • Register by January 31 to pay 50 dollars • Starting February 1, the fee is 60 dollars • Tickets at the door are 75 dollars • Boxed lunch, coffee and pastries are included MGV website: [https://fourseasonsofgardening.org/2026-spring-conference](https://fourseasonsofgardening.org/2026-spring-conference) 9:00-9:20 Registration & Complimentary Muffins & Vendor Visits (Auditorium) 9:20-9:30 Welcome & Opening Remarks (Auditorium) 9:30-10:20 Denise Schreiber, “Mrs Know It All” Pittsburg, PA Beyond the Garden Gate, Peeking at the Neighbor’s (Ballroom/Hallway). 10:20–10:40 Break-Visit Vendors & Raffle Tables (Auditorium) 10:40–11:30 Debra Knapke, “The Garden Sage” Columbus Ohio Wanting it All—Evolving as a Gardener (Ballroom) 11:30-12:15 Lunch (Catered/Visit Vendors & Raffle Tables 12:30–1:00 Break Out—Session 1 (Ballroom) Dawn Seymour Hungry for Change: Avoiding “the Jones’” with Intentional Design (Auditorium) Ryan Slaughter, Ross County Ag. & Natural Resources Extension Educator Growing Berries in Home Gardens (Ballroom) 1:10–1:40 Break Out Session 2 Dawn Seymour Hungry for Change: Avoiding “the Jones’” with Intentional Design (Auditorium) Ryan Slaughter Growing Berries in the Home Garden (Ballroom/Hallway) 1:40-2:10 Break: Final Visit to Vendors & Raffle Tables 2:10–3:00 Joseph Tychonievich, South Bend, IN, Writer, Plant Breeder, Gardener Big Ideas, Small Spaces: Making Creative Gardens on Small Properties