The Gardeners of America/Men's Garden Clubs of America

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Gardeners of America
Men's Garden Clubs of America



60 Member Clubs in 19 States (2008)
Abbreviation TGOA/MGCA
Motto "Gardening Education and Excellence in Horticulture Since 1932"
Formation September 26, 1932
Legal status 501(c)(3) Nonprofit
Purpose/focus Gardening education and community beautification.
Headquarters P.O. Box 241
5560 Merle Hay Road
Johnston, IA 50131-0241
515-278-0295
Membership Men and women with an interest in gardening and horticulture.
President Chuck P. Burt
Main organ A national board of directors.
Affiliations American Horticultural Soc.
Website www.TGOA-MGCA.org
Remarks Also known as TGOA, MGCA, TGOA/MGCA, The Gardeners of America, and Men's Garden Clubs of America.

Also known as TGOA/MGCA, TGOA, MGCA, Gardeners of America, and Men’s Garden Clubs of America, it is a national organization with 60 affiliated clubs located in 19 states (2008) across America. The organization has its headquarters in Johnston, Iowa, a suburb of Des Moines. Most clubs include men and women members, and concentrate on gardening education (for members and nonmembers), and community beautification and enhancement.

Contents

[edit] History

The Men's Garden Clubs of America organization was founded in 1932, and grew rapidly as a unique organization of male gardeners. By 1993 the organization had grown greatly, and the bylaws were changed. The organization became The Gardeners of America with two divisions: The Gardeners of America, and Men’s Garden Clubs of America.[1] While local clubs may feel more closely affiliated with one or the other division, all are members of TGOA/MGCA. Today many clubs include both men and women, but some all-male clubs still exist.

[edit] Mission and Objectives

The mission statement of TGOA/MGCA is[2]

To promote gardening education and related environmental issues to its membership and the gardening public through charitable, educational, and scientific means.

and its objectives are

  • To research, develop, and publicize new and improved gardening techniques, encompassing all facets of horticulture.
  • To research and promote ways that gardeners can contribute to safeguarding and improving the environment.
  • To render service to all members and the gardening public through educational programs, and by developing and distributing garden information.

Press releases announce notable milestones towards achieving these objectives.[3]

[edit] Advantages of Membership

People are the most important element of the organization, and belonging to a club at a local level provides many tangible and intangible benefits. Local benefits vary among clubs, but include continual education, participation in community beautification activities, and promoting camaraderie among gardeners. People living in a location without local clubs can become a member-at-large.[4] Besides local club activities, there are also national programs for members that are sponsored by TGOA/MGCA.[5]

[edit] Member Benefits

Belonging to a club affiliated with the TGOA/MGCA includes these specific benefits.

  • It operates in partnership with the prestigious American Horticultural Society (www.AHS.org), which is headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia. Optional membership in AHS is offered to club members at a very favorable discount. With full AHS membership, club members receive the following benefits.
    • Free or reduced fees for entrance to many national gardens and parks.
    • Access to the members-only portion of the AHS website at www.AHS.org.
    • A subscription to The American Gardener, a bimonthly AHS magazine containing helpful gardening information and professional quality horticultural photography.
  • A newsletter is sent bimonthly to all members and is posted on its website. It includes the following items.
    • Educational gardening articles.
    • Communications from club leadership.
    • Information about activities at various clubs and at national headquarters.
  • Special publications include:
    • Officer guides.
    • A guide for organizing new clubs.
    • Organization and procedure brochures for local clubs.
  • A lending library is maintained at national headquarters that contains an extensive assortment of books, and other literature, about horticulture. Audio-visual materials contain garden and horticulture-oriented slide, audio, and video programs.
  • Leadership opportunities through elected positions in local and national offices, and during national and regional conventions that are hosted by local clubs.
  • Awards programs that recognize clubs and members for exemplary services and contributions.

[edit] National Programs

In addition to local club programs and projects, TGOA/MGCA sponsors the following national programs.

  • Gardening From The Heart[6] provides community services for projects that benefit disadvantaged and aging gardeners.
  • Big Pumpkin & Giant Sunflower Contest encourages kids to grow plants.
  • Youth Gardening provides knowledge and national funding for selected projects, to encourage and engage youth in gardening.
  • Scholarships[7] of $1,000 are awarded annually to horticulture students based on local club applications.
  • Photography Contest[8] honors the talents of members by publishing their photographs in the Gardener's Calendar, and by displaying them on the Internet. They are "professionally" shown with artistic musical background as one of the highlight presentations at each year’s national convention.[9]
  • Gardener's Calendar is published annually using winning photographs from the Photography Contest, and provides beauty throughout the year. Many clubs use the calendar for fundraising, or present it as a speaker gift or other award.
  • Website www.TGOA-MGCA.org provides up-to-date information for members and officers. Although there is a members-only section of the website, much useful information about gardening and club activities is available to the general public as part of the organization's education mission. For example, Gardening and Horticulture Publications is a wide-ranging collection of articles that are posted online, and available to anyone.[10]

[edit] The Clubs

Clubs are located from the Atlantic to the Pacific, across the United States. Most clubs are located in mid-America, as is shown on the map displayed in the Infobox, above right.

[edit] Club Information

Specific details about each club (such as club name, location, and contact information) are available at the TGOA/MGCA website.[11]

[edit] Activities and Achievements

Club members engage in a wide range of activities.[12] The table that follows shows conservative estimates of total annual contributions made by all TGOA/MGCA clubs to their communities. This information is based on a 2007 survey where 45% of member clubs responded.

Club Activity Per Year
Garden Spots Maintained 1,000
Youth Served 1,600
Trees Planted 500
Shrubs and Flowers Planted 85,000
Trees and Shrubs Sold 3,400
Flowers Sold 160,000
Horticultural Surveys of Homes and Businesses 300
Miles of Litter Picked Up 40
People Involved With Horticultural Tours 2,800
Contributions to Student Scholarships $34,000
Other Club Contributions $33,000

[edit] Meetings and Conventions

There are several occasions when members gather into groups on a regular basis: local club meetings, regional meetings, national planning and business meetings, and national conventions.

[edit] Local Meetings

Arrangements for local club meetings vary based on the needs of individual clubs and their communities, but they generally

  • are held monthly,
  • include an educational program on
    • gardening techniques,
    • community enhancement,
    • environment control,
    • other topics,
  • review current and future club projects,
  • present awards to club members,
  • include time for
    • visiting,
    • sharing of gardening or project problems and solutions,
    • cultivating general camaraderie.

[edit] Regional Meetings

The 60 clubs in 19 states are grouped into 15 geographic regions (2008), as shown in the following table. If a state has more than one club, then that number is shown in parenthesis after the state name. Missouri has clubs in two regions.

Region Name States (Clubs)
  1. Arizona-New Mexico Arizona (3)
  2. Blue Ridge South Carolina
  3. Carolinas-Virginias North Carolina
  4. Central Great Lakes Indiana
Michigan (2)
Ohio (12)
  5. Florida-Georgia Georgia (3)
  6. Illinois-Wisconsin Illinois (7)
Wisconsin
  7. Mid-America Iowa (3)
  8. Mid-South Arkansas
Mississippi (2)
  9. Missouri-Kansas Kansas (6)
Missouri (1)
10. Northern California California
11. Northwest Washington
12. Ozark Missouri (3)
13. Rocky Mountain Colorado
14. Southwest Texas (5)
15. Upstate New York New York (5)

Each region is formally chartered by the national organization, adopts its own bylaws using the TGOA/MGCA bylaws as a guide, and assists in carrying out national programs. Region club members nominate and elect Region Directors to the TGOA/MGCA board. These directors are allocated according to a formula of one director for each 500 club members in their region. Directors attend board and region meetings. They also visit each of the region clubs one or more times each year, and provide assistance or advice if needed.

Other activities that take place by region include

  • gardening workshops and seminars,
  • tours of local gardens,
  • business meetings,
  • annual regional conferences,
  • presentation of region awards to club members.

[edit] Board Meetings

The board of directors meets at each national convention, and also holds an annual meeting in November of each year at a location chosen by the president with board approval. In 2007 the meeting was held November 2 in Johnston, Iowa.

[edit] National Conventions

TGOA/MGCA holds annual national conventions that are hosted by local clubs in cities across the United States. The purpose of each convention is to

  • meet and learn from other gardeners,
  • tour local gardens and horticultural sites,
  • participate in many educational workshops and seminars,
  • share information on service projects and fundraisers,
  • present national awards to club members,
  • trade pins and other souvenirs,
  • conduct a business meeting of the organization.

Recent conventions are listed in the following table.

Location Dates Convention Theme
Ft. Wayne, IN June 12 - 14, 2008 Gardening is Great in 2008
Rockford, IL July 12 - 14, 2007 Gardening Heaven in 2007
Spartanburg, SC April 20 - 22, 2006 Enhancing the Enhancements
Palm Beach, FL June 2 - 4, 2005 Jupiter in June...Out of this World!
Des Moines, IA June 23 - 26, 2004 Flowers and More in 2004
Albany, NY June 25 - 29, 2003 More to See in 2003 in Albany
Tucson, AZ April 10 - 13, 2002 Tucson & You in 2002
Minneapolis, MN July 19 - 22, 2001 Gardening Fun in 2001
Kansas City, MO June 16 - 19, 2000 Fountains and Flowers 2000
Green Bay, WI July 14 - 17, 1999 Beauty on the Bay '99

[edit] Notes

All links are to pages on the TGOA/MGCA website that contain details not presented in this article.

  1. ^ More on organization history.
  2. ^ The mission statement and list of objectives.
  3. ^ Official press releases.
  4. ^ Member-at-large membership and its benefits.
  5. ^ A complete list of membership benefits and national programs.
  6. ^ The Gardening From The Heart program.
  7. ^ The Scholarship program.
  8. ^ The Photography Contest program.
  9. ^ Past winning plant and landscape photographs.
  10. ^ Club gardening and horticulture publications.
  11. ^ Information about each local club.
  12. ^ Specific activities at local clubs.

[edit] References

A partial list of TGOA/MGCA official documents. Some documents are available to members on the TGOA/MGCA website. All are available from the national office at P.O. Box 241, 5560 Merle Hay Road, Johnston, IA, 50131-0241, 515-278-0295.

  1. Incorporation documents filed with the Secretary of State of Illinois, June 27, 1934.
  2. "The Gardeners of America Bylaws", revised January 2001.
  3. "The Gardeners of America, Men’s Garden Clubs of America, Standing Rules", revised June 2003.
  4. "The Gardeners of America, Men’s Garden Clubs of America, Operating Policies and Corporate Actions by the Board of Directors Including Approved Resolutions", January 9, 2007.
  5. "The Gardeners of America, Men’s Garden Clubs of America, Operating Policies – Headquarters", revised March 4, 2008.
  6. "The Fun and Value in Sponsoring a New Club", revised December 17, 2006.
  7. "How to Spread the Word: Newsletter Manual, An Aid in Producing Effective Newsletters", Howard Matz, TGOA/MGCA Newsletter Committee Chairman, revised December 2006.
  8. "The Gardeners of America, Men’s Garden Clubs of America, National Newsletter", published six times a year.
  9. "Secrets of Successful Club Leadership: The President's Guidebook", revised December 2006.
  10. "Convention Manual", January 26, 2007.
  11. "Gardening From The Heart: Horticulture Therapy for Citizens with Special Needs, A Volunteer Program Sponsored by The Gardeners of America, Men's Garden Clubs of America", March 2, 2003.
  12. "Youth Gardening Committee Handbook", revised December 2006.
  13. "Club Leadership Guides: President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, Past President, Secretary, Treasurer, Board of Directors, Scholarship Chair, Gardening Clinic Chair, Historian, Beautification Awards Chair, Arbor Day Chair, Youth Gardening Chair, Publicity Chair, Gardening From The Heart Chair, Newsletter Editor, Awards Chair, Community Service Chair, Flower and Garden Show Chair, Judges Chair, Club Liaison", revised December 2006.
  14. "The Gardeners of America, Men’s Garden Clubs of America, Directories 2008: Executive Committee, National Regional Directors, Region Officers, Committees (October 10, 2007), Past Presidents, Club Officers", all March 1, 2008 unless indicated otherwise.