Photo provided by SGC
Members of the Suffield Garden Club are pictured at a recent awards meeting of the Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut, where the local club received several awards. From the left: Judy Boyd, Judy Hanmer, Carol Nielson, Ellen Banks, Gloria Clark (with the Youth Award’s trophy bowl), President Kathy Remington (with the associated plaque), Connie Murray, Joyce Zien, and Michele Holcombe.
On October 26 nine members of the Suffield Garden Club attended the Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut’s 87th annual awards meeting and luncheon, where they were inspired, hearing about the accomplishments of other clubs and came home with several awards of their own.
In addition to being recognized for its 80 years as a member of the Connecticut Federation and National Garden Clubs, the Suffield Garden Club was recognized in the following areas for its work through May.
Luckner Youth Award:
Silver Bowl Trophy
For 35 years, the club has purchased saplings for Suffield’s fourth grade children. This year 180 crabapple trees, each 5 to 6 feet tall, were bagged with soil, labeled with planting instructions and given to the students at the end of day after an Arbor Day program in the school gym.
The club has also expanded their Juniors Program to include working with Scout troops. They have worked with a Brownie troop once a month; sessions have included planting seeds and dish gardens as well as making flower arrangements and bird feeders. A new after school horticultural club for fifth graders has proved successful and will continue this year.
Environmental Concerns and Conservation: Club
Certificate of Achievement
The Suffield Garden Club has a 50 year history of planting dogwood trees along historic Main Street, totaling 120 trees to date. The latest plantings involved 20 white and 20 pink dogwood trees, many of them new and some of them as replacements.
Other Awards
For clubs of similar size, the Club’s yearbook was awarded a first prize, its website was awarded a second prize, and its Facebook page was awarded a first prize plus a Certificate of Appreciation from the National Garden Club.