New Projects
A 2018 display for the Ronald McDonald Family Room
Members helped the YMCA celebrate HEALTHY KIDS DAY, a national initiative, to improve the health and well-being of kids and families. We helped families understand the basics of plants and gardening by having them plant seeds in Dixie Cups to take home and nurture.
We have successfully planted and maintained a wonderful, therapeutic garden for the students at Giant Steps, a school for autistic children in neighboring Lisle. Vegetables, flowers and herbs were planted and harvested by the students to use in their cooking classes and to make bouquets.
We introduced the Beautiful Garden Project to applaud residents with yards particularly well kept, nicely planted, and tended. Beautiful Garden Thank You Cards were distributed to members to leave at the front doors of homes thanking them for their efforts.
The Club will purchase a tree for the Naperville Park District in commemoration of our 90th anniversary, to be planted in the Spring of 2019. A plaque recognizing the Club’s 90 years, 1929-2019, will accompany the tree.
The Club’s partnership with NCTV-17 has expanded to provide set pieces for a new quarterly taping of the Naperville Mom’s Network show. In addition, a Club member is featured seasonally during the station’s 630 Lifestyle segment.
The Club has a new community exhibit site, the Ronald McDonald Family Room at Edward Hospital. Each week floral exhibits are provided by members to brighten the atmosphere.
We have successfully planted and maintained a wonderful, therapeutic garden for the students at Giant Steps, a school for autistic children in neighboring Lisle. Vegetables, flowers and herbs were planted and harvested by the students to use in their cooking classes and to make bouquets.
We introduced the Beautiful Garden Project to applaud residents with yards particularly well kept, nicely planted, and tended. Beautiful Garden Thank You Cards were distributed to members to leave at the front doors of homes thanking them for their efforts.
The Club will purchase a tree for the Naperville Park District in commemoration of our 90th anniversary, to be planted in the Spring of 2019. A plaque recognizing the Club’s 90 years, 1929-2019, will accompany the tree.
The Club’s partnership with NCTV-17 has expanded to provide set pieces for a new quarterly taping of the Naperville Mom’s Network show. In addition, a Club member is featured seasonally during the station’s 630 Lifestyle segment.
The Club has a new community exhibit site, the Ronald McDonald Family Room at Edward Hospital. Each week floral exhibits are provided by members to brighten the atmosphere.
Continuing Projects
A Sampling from our 2018 Plant Sale
The Club continues its community presence at schools, parks, and libraries. For example, the Jeanine Nicarico Memorial Garden at Elmwood School; the Blue Star Memorial Marker and “Spirit of the Navy” statue at Burlington Square Park; the Mary Quilty and Marie Mackenzie Memorial Garden at North Central College; and plant and tree donations to Naperville Libraries.
Awarding scholarships continues to provide financial assistance to graduating high school seniors and college students in the Naperville area whose studies are concentrated in the conservation, horticulture or environmental sciences. The program, which began in 1978, has awarded $297,000 from 1993 to 2018. The Club continues to donate to the Garden Clubs of Illinois Scholarship Fund. Furthermore, the Club offers two $25 awards plus a certificate on the state level to the clubs that give the most money per member to scholarships.
The Club continues its interactions with area schools through its School District 203 Partnership Agreement. This agreement, forged in 2009, allows high school students studying marketing, horticulture and floral design to work with the Club in a real world setting. The Club provides students the opportunity to work on semester long projects creating ways to promote membership, horticulture and design activities. Floral design students from school district 204 continue to provide centerpieces for the Club’s Annual meeting.
Stamp collecting is in its 17th year. Members donate stamps (domestic or foreign, old or new) which are sent to the Lincoln Land Association of Bird Banders who sorts and sells the stamps to raise funds for Illinois migratory bird and other environmental projects.
Used and broken crayons are collected for SCARCE, School & Community Assistance for Recycling and Composting Education. “Super crayons” are made and distributed to children with special needs.
Grocery donations for the Loaves and Fishes Community Pantry continue on a monthly basis. Thousands of pounds of groceries and dollars have been collected and donated to the food pantry serving DuPage County.
Classes are offered to members, the public and other organizations. Club members teach floral design and other skills of interest to members. This helps others to recreate the designs seen during Cup of Cheer™.
Awarding scholarships continues to provide financial assistance to graduating high school seniors and college students in the Naperville area whose studies are concentrated in the conservation, horticulture or environmental sciences. The program, which began in 1978, has awarded $297,000 from 1993 to 2018. The Club continues to donate to the Garden Clubs of Illinois Scholarship Fund. Furthermore, the Club offers two $25 awards plus a certificate on the state level to the clubs that give the most money per member to scholarships.
The Club continues its interactions with area schools through its School District 203 Partnership Agreement. This agreement, forged in 2009, allows high school students studying marketing, horticulture and floral design to work with the Club in a real world setting. The Club provides students the opportunity to work on semester long projects creating ways to promote membership, horticulture and design activities. Floral design students from school district 204 continue to provide centerpieces for the Club’s Annual meeting.
Stamp collecting is in its 17th year. Members donate stamps (domestic or foreign, old or new) which are sent to the Lincoln Land Association of Bird Banders who sorts and sells the stamps to raise funds for Illinois migratory bird and other environmental projects.
Used and broken crayons are collected for SCARCE, School & Community Assistance for Recycling and Composting Education. “Super crayons” are made and distributed to children with special needs.
Grocery donations for the Loaves and Fishes Community Pantry continue on a monthly basis. Thousands of pounds of groceries and dollars have been collected and donated to the food pantry serving DuPage County.
Classes are offered to members, the public and other organizations. Club members teach floral design and other skills of interest to members. This helps others to recreate the designs seen during Cup of Cheer™.
A 2017 Floral Arrangment for NCTV
The Club provides monthly floral arrangements for Naperville Community Television, Channel 17’s “Spotlight on Naperville.”
The community partnership with The Growing Place continues. The garden center and nursery has helped with staging past Club flower shows with plant materials. They are also a ticket sale vendor for the Club’s major fundraiser the Cup of Cheer™.
North Central College is the Club’s longest community partner beginning in the 1960s. It has provided space for the Cup of Cheer’s™ Holiday Market and Tea for many years. The Club also funds a scholarship in the memory of two members with the College choosing the recipient(s.) The Club periodically is asked for advice on the College’s conservation projects such as their Prairie Plot Project which is a teaching tool for students and enjoyed by the Naperville community as well.
The Civic Committee, in honor of Arbor Day, continues to make donations to purchase trees for the Naperville community.
The Club’s Membership Scholarship Program continues to encourage education and provide partial reimbursement for members attending National Garden Clubs Environmental, Flower Show, Gardening, or Landscape Design Schools.
The Club purchased swamp milkweed seeds from the Garden Clubs of Illinois to distribute at membership committee events and other community events to promote the Milkweed for Monarchs project.
Through collaboration between the City of Naperville, the Conservation Foundation and our Club, a Pollination Station was established at the Naperville Municipal Center. The pollinator garden is filled with flowering native plants that support butterflies and other pollinators. The area will be used to promote awareness about native plants and to inspire residents and businesses to use them in their landscapes.
Members of the DuPage Monarch Project requested our Club’s support for a Naperville proposal. The DuPage Monarch Project is a group of local organizations who ask communities to formally resolve to make their towns more monarch friendly. They prepared a proposal to present to the Naperville Park District and City of Naperville that asks them to pass a resolution to improve available habitat for monarch butterflies and other native pollinators through specific actions and to install signage by the plantings to increase public awareness and education. The proposal was passed.
The Club is also grateful to members who, on their own, support garden and horticulture projects throughout the community and practice environmental responsibility in their own gardens.
The community partnership with The Growing Place continues. The garden center and nursery has helped with staging past Club flower shows with plant materials. They are also a ticket sale vendor for the Club’s major fundraiser the Cup of Cheer™.
North Central College is the Club’s longest community partner beginning in the 1960s. It has provided space for the Cup of Cheer’s™ Holiday Market and Tea for many years. The Club also funds a scholarship in the memory of two members with the College choosing the recipient(s.) The Club periodically is asked for advice on the College’s conservation projects such as their Prairie Plot Project which is a teaching tool for students and enjoyed by the Naperville community as well.
The Civic Committee, in honor of Arbor Day, continues to make donations to purchase trees for the Naperville community.
The Club’s Membership Scholarship Program continues to encourage education and provide partial reimbursement for members attending National Garden Clubs Environmental, Flower Show, Gardening, or Landscape Design Schools.
The Club purchased swamp milkweed seeds from the Garden Clubs of Illinois to distribute at membership committee events and other community events to promote the Milkweed for Monarchs project.
Through collaboration between the City of Naperville, the Conservation Foundation and our Club, a Pollination Station was established at the Naperville Municipal Center. The pollinator garden is filled with flowering native plants that support butterflies and other pollinators. The area will be used to promote awareness about native plants and to inspire residents and businesses to use them in their landscapes.
Members of the DuPage Monarch Project requested our Club’s support for a Naperville proposal. The DuPage Monarch Project is a group of local organizations who ask communities to formally resolve to make their towns more monarch friendly. They prepared a proposal to present to the Naperville Park District and City of Naperville that asks them to pass a resolution to improve available habitat for monarch butterflies and other native pollinators through specific actions and to install signage by the plantings to increase public awareness and education. The proposal was passed.
The Club is also grateful to members who, on their own, support garden and horticulture projects throughout the community and practice environmental responsibility in their own gardens.