LOS ANGELES GARDEN CLUB NEW PROJECT

Los Angeles Garden Club 90th Anniversary
Preserving History by Creating a Digital Archive

As the years go by and long-standing members are leaving the LAGC, parts of the Club's history leaves with them. Countless cherished memories, photographs, vintage mementos, special expertise, and personal tips can no longer be shared with future generations of Club members.
While all of our Club's activities and events have been captured and documented digitally since 2001, there are no digital records available of prior years, with one exception:
For the LAGC's 75th Anniversary, Ashkhen Evrard, Historian and former Co-President, established a 75-year timeline, which includes detailed portraits of three women, who played a pivotal role in the success of the Los Angeles Garden Club.
This documentation is published on our website losangelesgardenclub.org  Go to Page
This new project will entail the collecting and scanning of yearbooks, photos, and administrative records from years prior to 2000, and storing them on a cloud (online) platform, where the files can be accessed and enjoyed by current and future LA Garden Club members.
Chair: Board

Botanical Gardens

Classes and projects of both the L.A. County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, and Descanso Gardens are shared and member participation encouraged. Several members volunteer at these organizations.

Horticultural Education

Our Club improves members' knowledge through horticulture "Show and Tell" and presentations by experts during meetings, in addition to sharing plants and growing tips. The Club maintains a membership with the Theodore Payne Foundation.

State and National Objectives

Our Club encourages its members to understand and practice the principles and objectives of  California Garden Clubs, Inc. and National Garden Clubs, Inc. by participating in its projects and fundraising efforts.

Bus Trips

Our Club takes bus trips or car-pools to historic estates and gardens, botanical gardens, nurseries, growers, and Club members' own gardens, to educate its members on all phases of horticulture and conservation.

Holiday Donations

Our Club continues to support Homeless Health Care Los Angeles, a unique organization providing services for homeless children, families, and persons with co-occurring health issues, including mental health and substance use disorders.

Monetary donations are collected at our Club's November meeting. Member participation is approx. 85%. Homeless Health Care Los Angeles will mail donors a donation letter that serves as tax receipt. Your support of our Club means that we can continue to help people in need.

Chairperson: Vicky Hansen

Penny Pines

We continue to give memorial contributions in the names of recently-deceased club members to the Angeles National Forest. The Forest Service plants and maintains approximately one acre of trees for each donation made. Members can also contribute to the Penny Pines  Reforestation / Restoration Program. The program focuses on support to help the forest recover from fires, insect and invasive plant infestation.

Chair: Executive Board

LA River and Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Projects

Community efforts have helped to give the Los Angeles River a new lease on life.

Members participate in river cleanups together with Friends of the Los Angeles River (FoLAR).

Scholarship

In 2022, three LAGC Scholarships at $750 each were awarded to three horticultural students from Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) in Walnut, CA.
The college was originally selected, because it met all of the criteria established by the Los Angeles Garden Club Scholarship Committee. Contributions to the Scholarship Fund are received from Club members, as well as other groups and individuals, and through fundraising activities.
Chairperson: Randa Skorzanka

Taking the Reins

In 2018, our Club partnered with Taking the Reins to help support this community-based non-profit organization in Los Angeles that serves hundreds of at-risk girls, ages 8-18, to help them excel and achieve their fullest potential in a safe and diverse environment. Thanks to the Equestrian, Urban Farm, and Animal Husbandry Programs, girls learn the value of teamwork and responsibility, in addition to valuable skills.

​TTR inspires and encourages girls to self-advocate, helping them grow into future leaders. TTR also offers workshops in the arts, personal development and life skills, college preparation, and career opportunities. Partnering schools report TTR teens have higher in-class participation and school attendance, and over 80% of TTR students show increased self-confidence.

Our members enjoy volunteering and participating in the garden classes and will continue to do so. So far, our members have not only donated their time and expertise to TTR, but the Club has also donated money and gardening tools. The annual cost per girl is $1,100.

Through its programs, newsletter tips/solicitation of member suggestions, and poster display, our Club encourages members to practice water conservation, composting, and the environmental “three Rs”:

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Reduce  waste

Reuse    repair for same use, or repurpose

Recycle  reprocess into a new raw material

Useful resources include:

SoCal WaterSmart: socalwatersmart.com

Rebates to encourage wise water use and conservation.

Rain Water Harvesting and LA’s Watershed Protection Program: lastormwater.org

Greywater Systems: greywateraction.org Reuse water from bathroom sinks,

showers and washing machines to irrigate trees, shrubs and flower beds.

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City of LA Residential Recycled Water Fill Station Program: ladwp.com/rwfs

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Compost Green Waste: calrecycle.ca.gov/organics

Turn Brown into Gold by keeping yard waste of leaves, grass clippings,

vegetable and kitchen waste on site by composting.

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Vermicomposting: calrecycle.ca.gov/organics/worms

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S.A.F.E. Recycling Centers: lacitysan.org Solvents, Automotive, Flammables, Electronics

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1-888CleanLA: dpw.lacounty.gov/epd/cleanla

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Environmental Programs within the City of LA: environmentla.org