President's Installation Speech
President's Installation Speech The Good News for Gardeners From Your President, Nancy Stark The adventure of a new administration has begun and for the next two years, I will serve you as president. It is with great pride that I am a part of this organization but it isn’t a job that one can do all alone. Every elected officer, committee chairman, advisory committee member, and club member serves as an integral spoke in the wheel of progress that makes Michigan Garden Clubs, Inc. what it is today and where it is headed in the future. We all contribute our talents in our communities in a variety of ways. Just a little background on my life and how I became a gardener. My family lived on the homestead farm in LaGrange County, Indiana, in the brick house my Great-grandfather built. So since 1881, this home has seen 4 generations of farmers and homemakers. Of course we grew all our vegetables and had the necessary livestock to feed the family. Belonging to 4-H for 9 years gave me the foundation for the love of the earth and how to care for my family. I’ve been a garden club member since 1990 and I began attending district meetings several years later. Because of what I experience every time I attend my local club’s meetings, it has reinforced my belief that gardeners do the best landscaping and design in town, they know how to get the job done, and really don’t expect that much recognition for their projects. They enjoy their accomplishments and are proud of the beauty they provide in their communities. To begin this administration and inform you as to what is ahead, each state president promotes special projects during their two years in office, So let me start with what I would like to see happen in 2011-2013. Community Gardens Obviously with the name of the 2011 MGC, Inc. Convention (Growing Gardens, Creating Communities) you have guessed my President’s Project will be promoting clubs to continue their work in current areas but we are also going to help you enhance your existing gardens. Many communities are now planting gardens for the hungry or “planting a row for the hungry”. It is the resurrection of the former “Victory Gardens” during WWII. Many of us remember those times and the need is surfacing once again. There are many guidelines, ordinances, funding, grants, and personal time you need to commit to for a successful community garden. it isn’t an easy task to partner with the city, town, and community leaders but we can do it. The key word when all is said and done is “sustainability”. After we partner with others, will the garden partners continue to keep it going? Will the commitment still be there year after year? With the help of the River Valley Garden Club in District III where they established “The Planting Fields” in 2009 and a good friend of mine here in Midland, my project is to provide all clubs with the proper instructions on how to partner with local townships and county governments to plant local community gardens. The strategy to accomplish this will be made available to all Michigan garden clubs via our web site with the ability to download guidelines and forms. Here is a simple idea to get you started with a different kind of community gardening. Many of you have already planted your gardens and planters. But I’ll bet there is still room to fit in some herb plants or vegetable plants with your flowers. Perhaps you could take one of your former flower gardens next year, draw out your plan perhaps using the square foot gardening process, and grow vegetables for a nearby shelter or organization that would distribute fresh produce to kitchens that provide meals for the hungry. When I attended the National Garden Clubs, Inc. Convention in May, it didn’t surprise me that the national president’s special projects are gardens with edibles and container gardens that are planted for public and special places. Loda Lake Wildflower Sanctuary in the Manistee National Forest and within the National Forest Service We will continue supporting this precious project through the sale of our “spirit wear” line of items that Lynn Dinvald began two years ago. When my garden club took a bus trip to Loda Lake in May, we were met by 4 docents and we walked the trails. It was a cloudy and rainy day. We were lucky it didn’t rain while we were on the walk or we would have been wet for sure. So for all of you that have been to Loda Lake, you can see they need the pavilion for shelter and with our help I hope we will see this happen. I would ask that all clubs consider adding a donation to Loda Lake as a line item in your budget for the next several years to build our fund. Karen Motawi is Chairman and would like to hear from you. My Third Project is “Harvest Gathering” Over 20 years ago, my state representative Bill Schuette and his wife Cynthia started a project called “Harvest Gathering”. Today across Michigan we have The Food Pantry Network. I would like us to begin our own Harvest Gathering this fall at our district and president’s meetings. Through the district directors and their call letters to meetings, I want to encourage every attendee to bring a non-perishable donation to their district meeting. The collection of items will be given to the local food pantry network where the district meetings are held. A local Harvest Gathering chairman or a representative from the Network can be scheduled to come and pick up the “harvest” of canned goods, personal care products, and paper products. Just an example for you -- more than 1.8 million people in Michigan are missing meals each day and far too many receive only one meal a day. In fact, a newly released study from Feeding America shows there are 305,417,966 meals are missed by Michiganians each year. The pantry workers often hear, “We had $50 in the bank. We had to choose between putting gas in the car or buying food.” If your club has been waiting for a new challenge, this is it! Feed those who are less fortunate than we are. Grow it – share it – give to your local pantry network, homeless shelter or soup kitchen. After all, how many zucchini can one family eat? MEMBERSHIP RECRUITMENT EFFORT For all the floral arrangers and designers or other gardeners who have an abundance of flowers in their gardens Do you have a business, post office, city building, or church that would welcome a fresh flower arrangement once a week? If you put a small business card or flyer beside your arrangement, you may find a new member wanting to join your club and learn how to arrange flowers. Flowers on the church alter once a month with a note in the church bulletin will catch the eye of that budding arranger Pick a public spot to show your garden flowers in all their glory and see how it works as a recruitment tool for new club members. Environmental Awareness I’ve covered community gardening, gardening study, floral design, landscaping with vegetables, Michigan is surrounded by the fresh water of the Great Lakes. Shirley Nicolai has topped her list of projects with the conservation and preservation of our most precious resource - fresh water and our ecosystem. We all need to be aware of the problems facing our generation and the next with keeping fresh water available. In closing, what has being a garden club member meant to me? Well it has given me the opportunity to live my passion, to grow in the knowledge of horticulture, to appreciate and preserve our environment one step at a time, to teach others what I know, and to be satisfied that when I’ve finished my life I’ve contributed in some small way to my family and the people in my community. Planting a seed, nurturing it with rains, feeding it with love and attention and then harvesting the produce of your efforts makes one’s soul feel fulfilled. It’s worth the experience and I rejoice in it. We are what we make of ourselves and what we leave to others to share and enjoy. Thank you for believing in me and having the confidence in me that together we will grow our membership and preserve our Mother Earth for future generations. |
