Boston Flora

Tag: Michele Hanss

  • Tuesday, June 25, 11:00 am – Ribbon Cutting for the Harbor-Link Gardens

    The Boston Committee of the Garden Club of America and The Boston Harbor Association invite you to a ribbon cutting for the Harbor-Link Gardens on Tuesday, June 25 at 11:00 am.  The event takes place at the old Northern Avenue Bridge in Boston, on the Seaport/Barking Crab side.  RSVP to Michele Hanss, Chair of The Boston Committee, if you plan to attend.  Her email address is m.hanss@comcast.net.  As you may know, The Boston Committee, through its Boston Committee Blossom Fund,  provided $50,000 in funding to The Boston Harbor Association to help create this new addition to Boston’s park inventory.  The Garden Club of the Back Bay is one of the thirteen clubs which make up The Boston Committee.  A website for The Boston Committee is under construction, and we will announce its launch here this summer.

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  • Request For Proposals for Boston Committee Grant

    Established in 1989, The Boston Committee of the Garden Club of America is a consortium of 14 garden clubs in the greater Boston area, from Buzzards Bay to the South, and coastal Maine to the north, with a total membership of 1,100 individuals. The Garden Club of the Back Bay is an affiliate member of The Boston Committee.

    Over the past years, the Boston Committee has awarded $110,000, through its Blossom Fund, to various not for profit groups in the City of Boston, for the purpose of beautifying our urban spaces. The Fund has been most effective when used to leverage larger grants. It has been at the forefront of projects such as the construction of the Blackwell Path at the Arnold Arboretum, which allows access to the Arboretum from public transportation. The Blossom Fund has helped with the construction and planting of a butterfly garden and maple tree allee at Massachusetts Audubon Society’s George Robert White Nature Center, in Mattapan. It has provided money for the restoration of the Kelleher Rose Garden on the Emerald Necklace. The Esplanade Association purchased irrigation equipment, the Charles River Conservancy restored the landscape surrounding the Eliot Bridge, and a garden was established at the Neighborhood Charter School, all with the help of the Blossom Fund.

    Now, the Boston Committee is soliciting proposals for a project in the vicinity of the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway. We expect to award a single grant for $50,000, with the potential to collaboratively raise additional funds in the future.

    The Committee members agree that innovation, positive community impact, and horticultural achievement must be the hallmarks of a successful Greenway proposal. Sustainability and future maintenance are important considerations. The grant will not be awarded for general fund drives, endowments, or for operating or staffing costs. The successful applicant must work with us to raise additional monies in the final year of the fund drive. Importantly, applicants must be an exempt organization under the IRS code.

    Complete details may be obtained by email. Contact Michele Hanss, current Chairman of The Boston Committee, at m.hanss@comcast.net. Applications are due February 10. We have received notice that applications may be forthcoming from the Friends of Christopher Columbus Park, The Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy, the Boston Aquarium, and the Boston Harbor Walk. After a full review and interviews, member Clubs will vote for the winning application, to be announced at our Annual Meeting in the fall of 2012, after which we will embark on the final year of fund raising. We encourage all groups in or around the Greenway to submit applications.

  • Wednesday, September 15, 10:00 am – The Boston Committee: What We Do

    Michele Hanss, Chairman of The Boston Committee of the Garden Club of America, and Past Chairman Beverly Van Orman, will present an illustrated program on the work of The Boston Committee at the opening fall meeting of The Garden Club of the Back Bay on Wednesday, September 15, beginning at 10 am at The College Club, 44 Commonwealth Avenue.

    The Boston Committee of The Garden Club of America, a not for profit organization,  was formed to achieve the following purposes:  To educate the general public regarding regional environmental concerns and horticultural practices; to assist individuals and organizations in the design and beautification of public parks and grounds and in the planting of green areas; to meet with representatives to exchange views on issues and concerns of the region; to encourage civic achievement in the environment and in horticulture by presenting awards for design, restoration of public areas, or for other related purposes as part of its public interaction.  Through its Blossom Fund, The Boston Committee continues to provide seed money to Boston area not for profit organizations for their garden and/or preservation projects (such as the Kelleher Rose Garden, pictured below.)  The Garden Club of the Back Bay is an affiliate member of this worthy organization, and has for many years assisted in raising funds and directing contributions, but we feel many members are still a bit in the dark about the goals and projects.  This meeting will fill in all the information gaps, and is a fitting beginning to The Garden Club’s 2010/2011 program year.

    An optional lunch ($20 members, $25 non-members) will follow the meeting, and reservations made prior to September 10 are essential.  Contact info@bostonflora.com to reserve.  Garden Club members will receive written notice of this event.

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  • Elimination of the Mounted Unit of the Park Rangers

    The following  letter has been received by The Garden Club of the Back Bay from Michele Hanss, Chairman of The Boston Committee:

    It has come to our attention that the Mounted Unit of the Park Rangers for the City of Boston may be eliminated later this month on June 30th due to cuts in the Parks and Recreation budget. This poses serious consequences primarily affecting the safety of the parks by sharply decreasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the Park Rangers. A number of park related non-profits such as the Friends of Jamaica Pond, Franklin Park Coalition, and the Emerald Necklace Conservancy are working hard to influence the outcome of this and our support is needed right now.

    Monies are being raised privately through several sources and you can help by sending contributions to:

    The Emerald Necklace Conservancy
    891 Centre Street
    Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts 02130

    Please include in the memo section of your check: horses. If, despite all this effort, the unit does not survive these tough financial times, the checks will be returned. If you have any questions concerning this please e-mail Julia Owens at jowens@ridgewayadvisors.com since she is handling all requests for information.

    Thank you for your consideration in supporting our park lands.

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