Award Recognition
Thank You Volunteer...
Message from the President Scott Gedak at the Volunteer
Appreciation event November 17th, 2012
VENU1008: 1008 - 14
St.SE
Welcome, and thank you on behalf of all of our members,
gardeners and Calgarians for your incredible support of the Calgary
Horticultural Society. It is you, our volunteers that are the
Society's greatest resource. So how many times have you heard "I'll
volunteer when I have more time?" Have I missed something?
Does anyone here have a watch that gives you more than 60 minutes
per hour or 24 hours in a day? A calendar that has eight days
in the week? No? Volunteering is not about "having more time"
it's about having heart. It's about caring about where you live and
what is important to you. You have made conscious decisions to
share your valuable time to share the joy of gardening with
Calgarians. Whether it is sacrificing an all too few summer
day to help out, forgoing a desperately needed coffee break between
running the kids to sporting events to work on an article for the
newsletter, making calls to our members, manning an information
booth and too many other activities to list them all, it is your
generosity, talents, and enthusiasm that make the Society such a
great place to be part of.
At last year's garden show the speakers all shared how
impressed they were with is how welcome they felt, the sense of
family and inclusiveness that they had working with the
Society. It is truly a testament to you when international
speakers who have their choice of venues go out of their way to
recognize how great you are to work with.
In recognizing you would be remiss if I didn't include our
incredible staff, all which are dedicated volunteers too.
Congratulations to our Award Recipients
Each year we pause from our busy schedules to stop and recognize
our volunteers for their invaluable contribution to the
Society. Please join us in thanking our volunteer
award winners.
Bert Einsiedel - Award of Merit 2012
The Award of Merit is
presented to an individual for their distinguished voluntary
service to horticulture in Alberta.
We award Bert Einsiedel for his many contributions to the
Society and specifically in the area of Community Gardens. Bert has
been a part of the Community Gardens program almost from the
beginning. He was a member of the core group and advisor to the
Community Garden Resource Network (CGRN) in the formative and fast
growing years from 2007 to 2011. He provided strategic leadership
and project management direction and he continues to provide
support.
The CGRN has benefitted from his skills as a problem solver,
mediator, issue analyst, and educator. Bert has a broad range
of knowledge and has assisted researching community gardening
questions. He has volunteered as a workshop leader and instructor,
advisor for local and international inquiries sent to the Community
Garden Resource Network.
Bert is a Master Composter and has provided education,
information and support in this area. He developed the
composting material for our community speaker's program, as well as
delivered talks on the topic in gardens and classrooms. His
gardening work in the community and as an educator and author are
impressive. Some examples include being a:
- Volunteer Grounds Keeper and governance assistant with the
University of Calgary Campus Community Garden;
- Garden Learning Advisor with the Garden Path Society;
- Master Composter and volunteer instructor for Green Calgary
Association conducting backyard composting and worm composting
workshops; and
- Leader with the Dalhousie Backyard Composting project,
with Green Calgary.
Dr. Einsedel is the author of a number of gardening related
material including:The History of University of Calgary Campus
Community Gardenand articles for community association newsletters
on backyard composting, vermiculture, garden food surplus sharing
and community building by means of gardening and much more. Bert
has been a fantastic contribution to the CGRN and our
Society.
Silver Service Award Recipients for 2012 Maryjo
Fairweather and Patrick Bulman.
Silver Award - honouring a Society member in recognition of
their long-term service and whose dedication is evident by a
significant contribution.
Maryjo Fariweather Silver Service Award Winner for
2012
Maryjo has been an active volunteer and support to the Society
for many years. Her volunteering includes being a: board member,
gate sitter, speaker, writer/editor, committee member, a speaker,
host and a mentor. She currently volunteers as the Managing
Editor of the Calgary Gardening Magazine planning and managing the
year in print. This includes: managing the team to identify article
topics, writing, editing, recruiting and managing deadlines. We are
proud of the magazine. It is an excellent gardening resource
and member benefit.
Maryjo has played a key role in our education the projects.
Consider the impact of three such project. The first was managing
the production of material for the Community Speaker's program. A
team of horticulture experts created presentation packages that
include a scripts, powerpoint presentation and handouts for the
audience. Maryjo edited the material for length, look and
consistency. We are now in a position to offer these talks to the
public. The second project involved working with City of Calgary
Water Services, Invasive Plant and Integrated Pest Management
personnel to update existing and create new, education material.
The brochures cover a range of responsible gardening topics under
the 'Yard Smart' banner and the Society's logo has a prominent
place on them along with that of the Calgary. The third project is
for members only. Maryjo also volunteers to organize the special
speaker's series.
For the Garden Show, Maryjo has volunteered with set up,
providing information membership and volunteer support. She
also won a first prize in the container competition in 2011.
She also willingly volunteers with some of the less glamorous
but very important tasks around the office like stuffing
envelopes, printing labels and membership cards, purchasing and
wrapping gifts, changing cartridges and cleaning the basement. She
always seems to remember how things are done or where they are
located. As I said earlier, she is an active volunteer and support
to the Society.
Patrick Bulman - Silver Service Award Winner for
2012
Patrick has enthusiastically taken on a variety of different
roles for the Society including volunteering the Garden Show, Plant
Share, HealthyYards Pilot Project, and Open Gardens.
I wish to nominate him for his contribution to the Garden Show.
Patrick's contribution to the Garden Show has been outstanding.
As a member of the Program Committee, he was instrumental in
developing a fantastic keynote speakers' series for the last four
years. Keynote speakers are a major component of the show. The
quality of speakers and their topics is a major draw.
Patrick and the Program Committee brainstorm ideas for popular
speakers. That is the fun part. Sorting out the logistics of
getting the speakers to Calgary, to Spruce Meadows, with their
powerpoint presentation cued up, at the correct time and ready to
go, takes work. Patrick connects with the speakers, arranges
accommodation, remuneration, and even in some cases drives them to
and from the airport. At the show, Patrick's oversees the smooth
running of the speaker's series, making sure all of the pieces fall
into place. Patrick is so calm and pleasant, one would think that
this is work he does every day.
Volunteers play a key role in the success of our events. It is
heartening to work with them, especially Patrick who is well
prepared, has a cool head, and such a great smile.
Lifetime Membership Award
Presented to a member who has dedicated a minimum of ten years
of outstanding volunteer commitment to the Society.
This includes significant contributions to the Calgary
Horticultural Society, education in horticulture and community
involvement.
2011 Recipient: Glenn King
Glenn has been an active member and volunteer of the Calgary
Horticultural Society for many years. He has volunteered for
every committee and event, served on the Board of Directors, and
has been the lone man in a group of women stuffing newsletters for
mail-out.
From gate-sitting gardens on our garden tour to
fundraising through casinos to teaching fellow gardeners about
greenhouses, there is nothing Glenn has not done to support the
Society and its educational goals. He has also shared his
gardening knowledge and promoted the Society at Seedy Saturdays and
Bloomfests.
Glenn shares his wry sense of humour and wit with everyone and
is always a welcome visitor to the Society office. He is well
known to hundreds of Calgary gardeners through his contributions
and is most deserving of the Society's highest award, a Life
Membership. Thank you Glenn!
Award of Merit
Presented to an individual for their distinguished voluntary
service to horticulture in the Province of Alberta.
2011 Recipient: Joanne Ogilvie
Joanne has significantly contributed to the promotion of
gardening in Calgary. She has been a member of the Society since
2004 and has contributed many volunteer hours to Society events and
programs, including garden shows, plant shares, bus tours, and our
workshops. She has also been a writer and managing editor of our
Calgary Gardening magazine.
As a member of the Society, Joanne promotes and supports our
events, participates regularly in our on-line forum sharing
information with other members. In the Calgary community, Joanne
promotes and supports our events, participates regularly in the
Queensland Gardening Club, organizing tours and providing
education. Joanne has been a workshop presenter and guest speaker
at community gardening events around the city.
In 2011 Joanne made a particularly significant contribution
to our Community Gardens Resource Network by connecting the Society
with Ball Horticulture's Burpee Home Gardens Program an
connection that lead to one Celebrity Tomato
Seedling being donated to each of the more than
100 community gardens in the city. In fact 2,000
tomato seedlings were donated. Thank you Joanne!
Gold Award
2011 Recipient: Judy Rose
Judy has been an active member and an outstanding volunteer for
more than 10 years. Judy's contributions have supported the
mission and mandate of the Horticultural Society through a variety
of services, including: serving as a board member
for four years, serving as past chairperson of Garden Show and
the current Chairperson of Perennial Plant of the Year
committee.
Judy can been seen at many Society events throughout the year
contributing her time. Whether it be sharing information at the
Garden Show or educating members at our AGM about the newly
selected perennial plant of the year. She has also shared her
knowledge through newsletter articles and serving as a judge in the
Garden Competition. Judy has also contributed many hours
reviewing and recommending changes to the rules and guidelines of
the Garden Competition.
Judy's community involvement on behalf of the Society includes
being a current member of the Alberta Children's Hospital Healing
Gardens as well as making made past contributions to support the
Society on radio and in print media. She is a constant role
model and has been a valuable mentor to me and many other Society
members.
Silver Award
2011 Recipient: John Buysschaert
John Buysschaert has enthusiastically taken on a variety of
different roles for the Society including assisting with the Garden
Show as Venue Coordinator when the show was held at the Calgary
Stampede. More recently John assisted Society staff as part of the
venue move-in team. John's contribution to this process is
greatly appreciated.
John also assisted with the move-in and set up of the 'Rooted in
The City Greenhouse' at the Calgary Stampede and helped build
Project Orange Thumb - the Fiskars community garden project in
Albert Park-Radisson Heights Community.
One of John's greatest contributions is photography. This has
included photos of the Garden Competitions, special events and
award events. John's photos have covered a decade of gardening. His
pictures are lovely and he is readily available to help us out when
needed.
2011 Recipient: Joey Stewart
Joey Stewart was recognized for her many contributions to the
Calgary Horticultural Society. During the summer of 2011 she
assisted with the design and delivery of the invitational garden
bus tours. Joey was instrumental in helping us find and
screen gardens. She also visited the gardens, informed herself
about specific features and characteristics and then acted as the
bus tour guide. Joey also hosted the bus group in her garden at the
end of one of the tour days. Joey also evaluated and reported on
the project success.
Joey has volunteered in a number of areas for the Society. As a
member of the Speaker's bureau, she has integrated elements of fun,
art and her love of gardening in with the education aspects of
gardening in Calgary. She has also volunteered for the Plant Shares
as a quality control specialist and table advisor.
For the Garden Competition, Joey has been a gate-sitter, a
photographer, and a judge. In addition, she provided her feedback
into recent planning discussions about the future of this event.
Joey volunteered for the Garden Show, as well in the
exhibitor check in and the membership booth. She is a keen advocate
for the Society and is always willing to share knowledge and
experience with others. She brings such enthusiasm and joy to every
task.
2011 Recipient: William Dorman
William has been a dedicated volunteer for the Calgary
Horticultural Society for well over 10 years. He has served
the Society in different capacities and given countless hours of
his time. He served on the Board of Directors from 2005-2006
and again from 2009 to 2010. In addition, he sat on the Garden Show
Core Committee and played a key role in securing the raffle
sponsors and prizes for this major fundraising event by searching
out, and organizing the prizes. He also volunteered staff time to
sell tickets at the Show.
William has assisted in the reclamation of the garden at the
Society office by donating his time to and equipment to clear the
site. He also supervised the construction of the pathway at the
Society office with the Venturers Society team.
He currently volunteers for events such as the Rooted in the
City Greenhouse at the Calgary Stampede. William is always an
advocate for the Society and is willing to share knowledge and
experience with others.