The Glove and Trowel Garden Club met on Wednesday, April 12, 2017, at 3:00 P.M. at the home of Julie Sawyer with Amy McColl as Hostess.
President Julie Sawyer called the meeting to order, welcomed members and our guest speaker, and led us in the reading of our Garden Club Collect.
Becky Lyell, Program Chairmen, introduced our guest speaker, Candace Bohachic, a teacher at East Elementary School. She brought us up to date on the “Sensory Garden” she is helping to establish at East Elementary School where the students are learning to grow plants from seeds and transplanting them into the garden. They are also learning about composting and healthy eating. A handout was given to each member showing before and after pictures of the garden. They have planted cucumbers and Banana Peppers, they pull roots and build raised beds, then get the raised beds ready for planting. It is a team effort, and they are learning about soil. They need soil for tomatoes, squash, flowers, etc. Clemson Extension also helps them. They have bird feeders made out of water bottles. The Boy Scouts have also helped with the building of raised beds. There are four classes involved. This project meets our NGC Objectives: Horticulture, Conservation, and Environment.
During the business meeting, “Happy Birthday” greetings were extended to Rosemary Bethea (April 7) and Dawn Arnette (April 24). Minutes by Secretary, Molly Pittman, were approved. Ellen Jordan, Treasurer, gave a financial report and reminded us to pay our dues. Becky Lyell reported that the “Black-eyed Susans” are pretty at our Node at the Wellness Center. Elizabeth Jordan reported that no one has applied to go to Camp Wildwood.
Our President reported on the Coastal District Meeting on March 14th at Pawley’s Plantation Conference Center, Pawley’s Island, hosted by ”The Georgetown Garden Club” and “The South Strand Garden Club” with Linda Siceloff as our Coastal District Director. A message was given by Yvonne Morris, President, GCSC, Inc. and Nancy Corrigall introduced our Guest Speaker, Paige Sawyer – a Photographer and Historian, who gave a special presentation on “Wonderful Winyah Bay.” Our new GCSC President will be Donna Donnelly. Four of our members attended: Julie Sawyer, Linda Dutton, Julie LeChette, and Becky Lyell. Our 2016 Yearbook prepared by Julie LeChette won 3rd Place for clubs with 20-29 Members. Each club in the Coastal District received a Certificate of Appreciation for donations for our “Nickels For Natives” Project. The Coastal District is the leader in donations for this project.
Our Blue Star By-Way Marker is being mounted, and new projects were discussed. Three of our trees at our Node at the Wellness Center need to be replaced, and a new one needs to be planted in memory of one of our deceased members, Suzanne Lewis. We were reminded of our annual “National Garden Week” coming up in June.
Ditto Jenkins installed our new officers for 2017 – 2019: They are: Molly Pittman, President; Linda Dutton, Vice-President; Julie Sawyer, Secretary; Julie LeChette, Treasurer; and Sally Harrison/Fay Sloan, Historians. Each officer was given a bouquet of flowers symbolic of their new position.
Our next meeting will be on May 10, 2017 with Jeanne McLaurin as Hostess, and Ditto Jenkins, Program Chairman.
The Glove and Trowel Garden Club is a member of the Coastal District of the GCSC, the Garden Club of South Carolina, Inc., the South Atlantic Region, and the National Garden Clubs, Inc.