National Convention 2009 Garden Club of Alabama, Inc. Report

It has been a pleasure to travel and meet people from all around the United States and represent The Garden Club of Alabama at these National Conventions. 

The theme for my administration has been “Remembering the Past – Shaping the Future”.  We have done this by remembering the accomplishments of the past and building on them.  We are still shaping the future every day by our actions. 

We have 2956 members with 149 clubs and 8 districts.  A new club has been formed in Madison, a men’s club called “Men’s Garden club of Madison County”.  They have 14 members and growing!  We have increased our membership this administration by 234. We were runner up for the DS Membership Award #6 which is awarded annually to the State Garden Club Organization with the greatest percentage increase in membership during the year.  Mary Jo Noth, NGC Member Transfer Chairman sent me eight (8) names of persons looking for a garden club to join.  We appreciated her sending those.

GCA  Arbor Day Chairman reported that 981,383 trees have been planted in Alabama this year.  Thirty thousand trees were planted in 2008.                           

We have 994 new GCA Life Members and many of our club members are striving to become 100% GCA Life Members.  Many clubs give a scholarship to a deserving high school senior to help with furthering their education.  We have added 216 GCA State Life Memberships during this administration.

We still maintain the six endowed Scholarships to Auburn in Horticulture and Forestry.  The Book Value of these scholarships is $301,213.  These funds are generated from three sources.  The first source is State Life Memberships, costing $50.00 each.  The second source is memorials, honorariums, gifts, donations from    club treasuries, special projects and “Empties 4 Cash”.  One of the garden clubs in Auburn held their 8th Annual Fund Raising Tea Party and netted $5,100.00.  The third source is one half of the rent on the old headquarters building amounting to $6,000 per year.  As of now we have received $8,525.36 from memorials, etc. And $4,956.72 from Life Memberships and the $6,000 rent amounting to $19,485.08.
GCA has thirteen (13) large Blue Star Memorial Markers and fifteen (15) By-way markers installed at welcome centers.  Oak Leaf Hydrangeas were planted around the markers four (4) years ago and some of them are being replaced.

We are very proud that two of our members were awarded the National Member Award of Honor.  Jo Ann Wade was the recipient of the award in 2008 and Mimi Potthoff is the recipient for 2009.  They are both deserving of this award.

The two clubs who applied for a Principal Financial Group Grant and received  $500.00 each, last year, report that they have put the money to good use.  Trowelers Garden Club in Decatur landscaped the entrance to the City Cemetery and reported that it looks beautiful.  Camellia Garden Club, Montgomery, reported that they applied the $500.00 plus $1200.00 of their own to build a pergola for an outdoor classroom and year round garden at the Public Schools Arboretum.  Both clubs expressed their gratitude for the grants that they received.

Alabama hosted the Deep South Region Convention at Huntsville this year, March 26-29 at the Huntsville Marriott.  229 members attended.  The first ever regional Petite Advanced Standard Flower Show, “Southern Hospitality” was held at this convention and received rave reviews.

Fourteen flower shows were held in our state during this administration.  There are seventy –two (72) Nationally Accredited Alabama Council of Flower Show Judges, two (2) Student Judges and six (6) Emeritus Judges.  Our council is very active and has produced an engagement calendar “Alabama Stars” which will be in its fourth printing in 2010.  It features pictures of designs and gardens sent in by members from around the state.  A symposium will be held in Birmingham on 9th and 10th of September.

The Landscape Design Consultants with 47 members has sponsored two in a series of four Landscape Design Study Courses and the third course will be held in October 2009. 

Two state conventions were held during this term, the first one our 76th being held in Birmingham where our Guest of Honor was Barbara May and the second 77th was held in Dothan where Mary Summerville, DS Regional Director and Carol Keefe, DS Regional Alternate Director were our special guests.  The Birmingham convention attendance was around 150 and the Dothan convention attendance was 130.

There is a newly developed Children’s Garden in Huntsville’s Botanical Garden.  We also have a garden in Talladega at the school for the Deaf and Blind.  It is a fragrance garden that has raised signs in Braille so that the students can learn the names of the plants.

We began a partnership with Jule Smith Collins Museum of Fine Art at Auburn University in 2005.  Our top floral designers have entered designs interpreting a piece of art in the “Art in Bloom” exhibit sponsored by the museum. 

Our state bulletin is named “Hortensia” or Lady Gardener, has featured Native Plants on the front cover in honor of Barbara May’s theme.  We changed the location of the printing and mailing to my hometown last year and it has resulted in quite a savings.  We also changed from periodical mailing rate to bulk rate mailing which saved on the postage. We also have a website, www.gardencenral.org/alabama.  

Our members are busy in all areas of civic beautification, conservation and preservation.  Our Libraries and public Buildings have greatly benefitted from the hard work and diligence of our members.  They are also proud of the entrances to their city or town and work to keep them looking beautiful.

Margaret E. Reynolds
GCA President 2007 – 2009
Phone #334-270-1774

Ann Daniels, GCA President		Ann Daniels		Mimi Potthoff, Ann Daniels, Bryan Thomlison, Carolyn Karahawa
Ann Daniels,  Margaret Reynolds		seated, NGC Board members Trece Chancellor, Margaret Reynolds, Jo Ann Wade; standing, Ann Daniels, Mimi Potthoff		Mimi Potthoff; Betty Bagert, DS Smokey Bear/Woodsey Owl Chairman, NGC Golden Circle Committee Chair; Mary Summerville, Deep South Director 2007-2009; Ann Daniels