Club that funds scholarships
Honoring Those Who Have Served Our Country
The Blue Star Memorial Program honors all men and women that serve in the United States Armed Forces. The program's inception in 1944 began with the planting of 8,000 Dogwood trees by the New Jersey Council of Garden Clubs as a living memorial to veterans of World War II. In 1945, the National Council of State Garden Clubs adopted this program and began a Blue Star Highway system that covers thousands of miles across the Continental United States, Alaska and Hawaii.
A large metal Blue Star Memorial Highway Marker was placed at appropriate location along the way.
What we see today is a program that has expanded to include all men and women who have served, are serving or would serve in the Armed Forces of the United States. Memorial Markers and By-Way Markers were added to the program to be used at locations such as national cemeteries, parks, veteran's facilities and gardens.
The Blue Star became an icon in World War II and was displayed on flags and banners at homes whose family members away during the war.and in churches and businesses. This program has been active throughout the years, and is a fitting tribute to our Arrned Force, especially now.
Saving Forests $68 At A Time
NGC and the USDA Forest Service are proud to have formed a partnership sustaining our national and urban forests through this reforestation/forest education program.
Your Garden Club can participate in a meaningful conservation project by contributing $68.00 to a Penny Pines plantation as part of the costs of replanting replacement trees indigenous to a particular damaged area. Whether by fire or by other natural catastrophe, pine trees and other trees are replaced. You may designate a specific state you wish to have benefit from this contribution.
Under a conservation agreement, the forest service will do the planting, using your donation together with federal funds, and will provide to the plantation the same protection from fires, insects, and disease given other forested areas. The plantations are a part of the regular national forest reforestation program planted on burned-over and brush-covered areas which are potentially productive timberlands. Planting sites are selected by the supervisor of each national forest. These plantations provide soil protection, watershed protection, soil stabilization, future harvestable timber, as well as beauty and shade for recreation.
A National Treasure
Garden club members creatively and effectively address current issues, such as the effects of climate change effects, water sheds, recycling, highway beautification and other environmental concerns. Local and state projects and national partnerships give garden club members everywhere an opportunity to make a difference while engaging in activities they love.
Garden club members creatively and effectively address current issues, such as the effects of climate change effects, water sheds, recycling, highway beautification and other environmental concerns. Local and state projects and national partnerships give garden club members everywhere an opportunity to make a difference while engaging in activities they love.
NGC's Standard Flower Shows are colorful, enjoyable events that continue to draw crowds across the U.S. while giving garden club members an opportunity to exhibit plants, floral arrangements and educational exhibits. Flower shows help spread the word about the joys of gardening and serve as forums for learning design trends for the home, new cultivars in horticulture and what trees, shrubs and plants grow well locally.
Healing Gardens for Hope and Awareness
Encouraging the development of local programs that use gardens therapeutically is another benefit to communities by National Garden Clubs' members. Outstanding examples of garden therapy programs include supporting a fragrance and tactile garden at a school for the blind in North Carolina; teaching gardening skills to developmentally challenged high-school students in Maryland; planning, planting and maintaining a healing garden at a nursing home in Virginia. Through its diverse garden therapy program, National Garden Clubs members bring rewarding results to individuals and communities.
Garden clubs commemorate the first full week in June as National Garden Week by sponsoring a variety of community events.
Youth-directed programs include poetry, essay and art contests, such as a sculpture competition using recyclable materials to the Smokey Bear/Woodsy Owl poster contest, a 50-year program sponsored in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service.
Establishing gardening programs in schools helps children learn basic life skills, and can also supplement almost any of their classes. They practice their writing through observational journals, apply science knowledge as they watch plant life cycles, utilize math skills through measurements, and better understand history and other cultures through growing their own food. They can learn lessons in responsibility, communication, teamwork, and patience.
Assisting and Educating New Homeowners
In May 1999, a partnership was formed between National Garden Clubs, Inc. and Habitat for Humanity. HFH's mission is to eliminate poverty housing from the face of the earth. NGC's goal is to encourage local garden clubs to share their expertise in gardening and landscaping with the owners of Habitat homes. In some cases, local businesses will provide materials to encourage beautification of the properties. In a recent example, the Florida Federation of Garden Club members successfully had graduates of NGC Schools teach a landscaping maintenance seminar to 18 new Habitat for Humanity homeowners. Ames tools, an NGC corporate partner, provided a hose and hose reel for each homeowner.
Habitat for Humanity Garden’s philosophy is that no commitment, physical or monetary, is too small. All endeavors and contributions will be gratefully acknowledged. State chairmen, please contact the Habitat for Humanity Chairman and share fun facts and stories. We hope to build a nationwide community through social media with this project.
A direct line of communication has been put in place for one-on-one networking between HFH Affiliates and garden club representatives. The more than 1,500 HFH Affiliates have been made aware of the NGC and HFH partnership.
The program's emphasis is on enhancing the environment by landscaping HFH homes with hearty native trees, shrubs, plants, and flowers that also attract butterflies. It is the hope of NGC to have the community, both adult and young gardeners, involved in this very worthy project. NGC's goal is 100% state participation, in some manner, across the nation.
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