Community Impact -2023 GFL Celebration
It is early summer 2023 and the GFLP Team is assessing the outcomes of the the March 4, 2023 GFL Celebration with Doug Tallamy to inform how we move forward with future projects.
Looking back, there are the obvious wins:
We pulled it off! We actually got Doug Tallamy to come speak, we coordinated an event with over 20 exhibitors and with many of the region’s finest native plant growers selling plants and sharing knowledge. All 750 tickets were reserved over two months before our actual event. On the day of we celebrated a well executed free community event with over 700 attendees!
This was a community collaboration! We worked and played with over 70 volunteers, many volunteer organizations such as Rotary, Green Blades Garden Club, local scouts, etc and with community organizations like our partners Conserving Carolina, the Congregational Church of Tryon, Lanier Library, Tryon Downtown Development and more.
School kids were engaged! Through our Seeds in Schools program, with the help of Weiler Woods for Wildlife, students hand decorated over 700 seed packages. These were stuffed with a pollinator-friendly seed mix and given away to the students for them to take home for their very own pollinator garden. In addition, packages were available for all attendees on March 4th
We gave away 500 Oak Trees! - We sent over 500 White Oak seedlings out into the world to be planted and nurtured and to support healthy habitats in the Carolina Foothills and beyond.
And then there are the ripple effects …
Folks are talking! This endeavor has sparked many many conversations and actions, large and small, regarding healthy habits.
A community give-back is happening! A community fund was created from the excess dollars raised through this project. A steering committee, comprised of representatives of community partners, decided on three worthy projects focused on healthy habitats to support.
Hosting a community movie night featuring the film Hometown Habitat.
Supplying Polk County High School with hundreds of native plant plugs for students to grow up and sell during their annual spring plant sale.
Funding the keynote speaker for our 2024 Gardening For Life Celebration. More details on all projects coming soon.
Fueled by these successes and our heart-felt commitment to raise awareness about biodiversity, our team is looking ahead to what Gardening For Life Project 2023-2024 can be. We are truly excited!
Stay tuned for upcoming news on movies, plant sales, community conversations and a 2024 GFL Celebration!