State Board Meeting

June 3, 2009

MCL Cafeteria on 86th

Indianapolis, IN

Joyce Bulington,President

 

 

Board Members,

Hi!  This is such a relief to write knowing that Cynthia will not be keeping the time.

 

As you know the President of TGCI travels all over the place.  I already have been to Elkhart to a garden party, Merrillville to a spring District Meeting, Indianapolis to a convention planning meeting,  Danville to a 60th anniversary meeting for Hendricks County Garden Club, Muncie for the morning of Landscape Design Consultant Class and Peru attending a "Nature Afair", and in between all these meetings attended the National Convention in Houston.  I am not going to continue to list my travels, but just wanted you to know that I have been on the road and will continue to do so as long as I am invited.  Z is loving the new choices of restaurants that he is discovering along with both of us traveling to places new to us.

 

Everywhere I go, garden club members share ideas, stories and memories.  This is exactly what I would like to promote within our State.  All clubs share within their communities, but as a Board we need to encourage our clubs to feel as though they belong to a State and National organization.  This can be accomplished by interaction with us as chairmen and officers.  This team of board members that is now in place, is a very accomplished group of persons who have a lot to offer.  It is our responsibility to “connect the dots”.

 

So, with this in mind, Linda Briar and myself, are asking that every single club in the state plant at least one daffodil bulb, or more, in memory or in honor of someone.  This can be other members

who have passed or someone they would like to recognize for their special contributions to the club.  During this planting, we would ask that a picture be taken and sent along to Nan Hodge the photographer.  We also want them to send to Linda, the name of the club, the location of planting and why they were planting them.  It would be nice if they included the name of the daffodil, but we know that this is not always possible.  The idea of our state doing this project, in this manner, is to make all clubs and their members understand that not only are they doing a project they enjoy accomplishing within their community, but also help them to understand that all clubs are doing the same thing.  When finished, by April of 2011, when these daffodils are blooming in Greensburg and LaPorte, they will be blooming all over Indiana and the entire United States. 

This project, is a State and a National Project, which promotes the idea of “look what we can accomplish on an individual club scale to make a large impact”.  This thought process is what federated garden clubs is all about.  Some of our clubs are going to be planting community gardens also, which will have a different impact all over the United States.  By planting these gardens, we are reaching out to others, helping them in so many ways; and in April of 2011 we will have taught new gardeners, fed some hungry people and learned how to deal with the bureaucracy of city government. 

It is the hope and desire of this President, that we can bring a feeling of belonging to club members all over the state.  We cannot continue to appear to be functioning as two separate units, we don’t intentionally do that, but it is the perception that some garden clubs have. Growing Gold was designed as a state project to bring a feeling of unity to all clubs within TGCI.

Therefore, we as Chairmen and officers of the Board, will be open minded to new ideas, thoughts and concepts to make this a more user friendly organization.  There are no dumb questions, no dumb ideas or concepts.  Discussions, round tables, and informal groups are encouraged where or when needed.  Call me and I will do whatever I can to make things  happen. Difficulties and problems will be addressed and the process of going forward will be encouraged.  We, this team of Board Members, are part of a wonderful state organization that just needs tweaking so that we may continue to nurture our members and sprinkle success wherever we may.

Have a Daffodil Day!

Joyce

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