The West Hartford Garden Club was recognized at the Annual Federated Garden Club Awards Luncheon in October.

From left: Beth Ann Loveland Sennett, Madeleine Hexter, and Kathy Janis with environmental and award for civic projects. Courtesy photo

Submitted

Congratulations to the West Hartford Garden Club for Civic Projects awards and other recognition received at October’s Annual Federated Garden Club Awards Luncheon. Federated includes 122 garden clubs covering more than 6,500 individual members, and the awards are competitive. We are grateful to all of the club members who attended, and especially to award recipients.

Our long-term restoration project at Spicebush Swamp Park led to the club’s receipt of the National Garden Club Certificate of Merit for Conservation Activities. In addition, the club received the Federated Garden Clubs of CT highest award, The Lucille Schavoir Award, for outstanding work in the community. The Schavoir Award recognized environmental restoration work at Spicebush in areas of conservation and tree planting; our Seed Library and garden class collaborations with the West Hartford Public Library; the work we completed in partnership with the Traprock Ridge Land Conservancy at Wojan’s Woods; the Wolcott Park Children’s Forest entryway project completed in concert with the WH Leisure Services and the West Hartford Commission on Sustainability; booths at Earth Day programs; renovation of garden pathways in the Noah Webster Dooryard Garden; Healing Therapy and Senior Gardening work at Alfred Plant Housing; replanting of berms at Elm Grove Apartments; youth outreach at Hillcrest Avenue Neighborhood Outreach Center; and membership committee efforts to welcome new members to the club.

WHGC Awards Luncheon attendees, clockwise outside from bottom left: Margaret Pulito, Tanya Guadalupe, Kathy Janis, Gina Cocchiola, Lorraine Lodigiani, Beth Ann Loveland Sennett, Glenda Thomas, Nancy Lemega-Watt, Madeleine Hexter. Center from bottom to top: Susan Lindberg, Margaret Gould. Courtesy photo

Separate Club Citations and Awards of Excellence were also received related to specific actions in each of these outreach areas. In addition, individual club leaders were recognized for their leadership with Certificates of Individual Achievement:  TREX Community Partnership Program coordination Gina Cocchiola in the environment category;  club President Susan Lindberg in the Healing, Therapy, and Senior Gardening arena for her committee leadership; Noah Webster Dooryard Garden Co-Chairs Susan Grew and Maureen Gould in the Historic, Memorial, and Public Garden category; and Margaret Gould and Cheri Stabnick for in membership support. In addition, a Good Deed Citation was awarded to Lorraine Lodigianithis year for her many contributions to club functions and outreach efforts.

Floral Table arrangements made by club participants. Courtesy photo

Of special note, the Joyce P. Harris Award was presented to our own Madeleine Hexter for outstanding horticultural achievement. As former Civic Projects Co-Chair, Madeleine led the installation of the Pollinator Pathway Garden around the park sign at Spicebush Swamp Park, and later led a group to plan a Bird Sanctuary further into the park. These actions triggered more work at Spicebush, the ecological restoration of which is now the key civic project for our club.

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