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HomeMy WebLinkAboutReport - Mail Packet - 3/4/2014 - Gardens On Spring Creek 2013 Annual ReportTake Root. Grow. Flourish. 2013 Annual Report 2145 Centre Ave. Fort Collins, CO 80526 970.416.2486 fcgov.com/gardens Agrium Advanced Technologies Anne Clark Design Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado, Northern Chapter Beet Street Belgard Bobcat of the Rockies Bohemian Foundation Canyon Chop House Cargill City of Fort Collins, Fort Fund City of Fort Collins, Utilities City of Greeley Clays’ Ace Hardware Colina Foundation Color Pro Print Colorado Creative Industries Colorado Health Foundation Colorado Machinery Colorado Vista Landscape Design Coloradoan Comcast Spotlight Cornerstone Home Lending Co’s BMW Center CPS Distributors Davey Tree DBC Irrigation Corporate and Foundation Support The Gardens on Spring Creek is grateful to the many local businesses and foundations that provide in-kind services and cash donations to our organization. Their support is critical to the success of our special events and overall operations. Corporate and Foundation supporters in 2013 included: DeAnge Stone Earthborn Landscape Design Ed Carroll Motors Eye Center of Northern Colorado Fiona’s Delicatessen & Catering Foodies Culinary Academy Foothills Landscape Maintenance Fort Collins Brewery Fort Collins Landscaping Fort Collins Magazine Fort Collins Nursery Fort Collins Wholesale Nursery Fossil Creek Nursery Gallegos Sanitation Garden Art Landscaping Garden Thyme General Shale GrowGreen Landscape and Maintenance Gulley Greenhouse Harlequin’s Gardens Heidi Muller Photography Hilton Fort Collins Friends of the Gardens The Friends of the Gardens on Spring Creek is the non- profit partner of the Gardens on Spring Creek, a City of Fort Collins facility. The Friends is a member-based organization led by a volunteer board of directors. Its mission is to cultivate a world-class botanic garden through fundraising and advocacy. Over the years, their support and hard work have been essential to establishing and growing The Gardens. Thanks to the following people for serving on the 2013 Board of Directors: Randy Morgan, Dulcie Willis, Barbara Jehu, Sally Guthart, Mary Ray and John Papile. Volunteers The Gardens volunteers are instrumental to our success and actively involved in all aspects of the organization. In 2013, 159 regular volunteers and 548 one-day volunteers contributed 6,994 hours of their time—the equivalent of 3½ full time staff and valued at $144,049. Volunteers serve on our Friends Board of Directors, assist in the gardens and greenhouse, facilitate youth education programs, serve as special events ambassadors, and perform administrative tasks. There was a significant increase in the number of groups volunteering at The Gardens in 2013. Thank you to the 19 non-profit, government, school, and business groups that volunteered throughout the year. For the first time, we extended awards to our volunteers. Our 2013 Award recipients were: • Volunteer of the Year- Jim Sedmak • Outstanding New Volunteer- Mary Hanson • Outstanding Education Volunteer- Phoebe Slingman • Outstanding Youth Volunteer- Ande Peersen • Outstanding Group- National Charity League and Northern Colorado Garden Railroaders • Administrative Volunteer Award- Bill Follis • Community Service Award- Ken Dunnington • Eatin’ Effort Award- Barbara Sedmak • Executive Volunteer Award- Barbara Jehu • Helping Hand Award- Nancy Frank • Make a Difference Award- Jean Muirhead • Unsung Hero Award- Chuck Minks The Gardens staff extends a special thank you to each of our volunteers for making The Gardens a Fort Collins gem. From the Director, Michelle Provaznik At the Gardens on Spring Creek, things are always growing, always changing, and last year was no exception. But, what hasn’t changed is our commitment to our mission and to our community. Fortunately, our community is committed to The Gardens as well—three projects undertaken in 2013 exemplify this connection. In late April, The Gardens was selected to be the Earth Day project for the Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado Northern Chapter. The Association brought more than 15 local contractors to build our Sustainable Backyard project—in just one day. It was HGTV brought to life! (You can see the video on our website.) The contractors not only donated their time and expertise, but many donated products as well. Because of their efforts, visitors to The Gardens can now get ideas on how to make their yards more sustainable. In August, we opened the new Interactive Zone in the Children’s Garden. Dedicated to the memory of a long-time supporter and board member, Millard Penney, the new area will allow for guided activities to engage children more directly with the garden. Special thanks to the Penney Family, Agrium Advanced Technologies, the Colina Foundation, and Fort Collins Landscaping for making this project happen. Finally, another addition to the Children’s Garden has delighted kids of all ages—the model railroad garden. Opened in September, this project was only possible because of the passion and know-how of the members of the Northern Colorado Garden Railroaders who donated over 400 hours of their time to design and build the popular, new garden. Thanks also to Summit Lawn and Landscape for donating time to the project. 3 The Community Garden Outreach Program continues to do great work for our community. With continued funding from the Colorado Health Foundation, the Family Garden Program finished its pilot phase. Seven families completed the curriculum featuring gardening, cooking, nutrition, and preservation classes. In 2014, the Family Garden Program will go out into the community to educate more people in growing and using fresh fruits and vegetables. The Garden of Eatin’ continues to educate, inspire and grow! In 2013, 6,150 pounds of produce were donated to our partner, the Food Bank for Larimer County. An additional 676 pounds of produce was utilized in The Gardens education programs and community events. Through our joint program, Plant it Forward, local gardeners donated an additional 2,467 pounds of homegrown fruits and vegetables to the Food Bank. The Gardens donated more than 1,000 veggie and herb seedlings to community gardens that serve low-income populations or are growing fresh food for the donation to the Food Bank. We donated 2,000 veggie and herb seedlings to the Food Bank for direct distribution to clients in their Food Share program. Through the program, we provided technical assistance for the creation of community gardens to Redeemer Lutheran Church, The Murphy Center for Hope, Fort Collins Housing Authority, the social enterprise project of (formerly) Hand- Up Cooperative and the Urban Farm and School. Finally, in 2013, The Gardens worked with the City of Fort Collins Parks, Park Planning, Social Sustainability, and Neighborhood Services Departments to build four community gardens in city parks. Gardens at Rogers, Buckingham, and Edora parks opened in the summer and construction at English Ranch Park began in the fall. Based upon the waitlists to date, we expect all four community gardens to be full in 2014! Visitation 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2,505 11,013 28,028 36,114 45,441 47,187 54,690 59,851 Funding Grants: $109,500 Memberships: $19,840 City of Fort Collins: $406,773 Earned Revenue & Donations: $199,692 Community Garden Outreach Program 5 Adult and Youth Education Education is a fundamental part of our mission of improving lives and fostering environmental stewardship through horticulture. Over 600 adults learned something new in our gardening, cooking, crafting, and urban homesteading classes. Our Garden-to-Fork cooking series, in partnership with University of Colorado Health, was a sell-out. Another 400+ attended the High Plains Landscape Workshop—a record setting attendance. An additional evening session of High Plains, featuring David Salman, was added due to the workshop selling out in record time. Attendance in our youth education programs also Community Partnerships As the community botanic garden of Fort Collins, The Gardens partners with many community organizations to build synergies, expand programming, and augment program offerings. With that mind, here are highlights of our 2013 Partnerships: • Boys and Girls Club – Co-partner on youth cooking program • Boy Scouts of America – sponsored two Eagle Scout projects • City of Fort Collins departments – work with the Water Conservation Specialist to present the High Plains Landscape Workshop; work with the Parks Department’s Botanical Team on horticulture projects around the city; partner with Lincoln Center for the ARTiculture Fine Arts Festival; added Earth Tubs in conjunction with Natural Resources Department; partnered with Parks, Park Planning, Neighborhood Services, and Social Sustainability to build community gardens in parks • Colorado State University – Departments of Horticulture; Entomology; Human Development and Family Studies; Nutrition; and Ram’s Point Winery—partner on events, host internships, Service Learning, and Key Cluster and club volunteer opportunities for students • Early Childhood Council of Larimer County – helping to expand youth programs through information and outreach • Food Bank for Larimer County – 6,150 pounds of produce grown at The Gardens was donated to the Food Bank; 2,467 pounds donated by local gardeners through Plant it Forward • Foothills Gateway – The Gardens serves as a community integration site for their clients to learn socialization and basic work skills • Fort Collins Coloradoan – staff writes weekly “In the Garden” columns to educate residents and promote The Gardens • Front Range Community College – Spring Plant Sale partnership with Horticulture Department; spring intern host; volunteer site for class service learning • Front Range Growers Association – help plan two workshops per year to promote sustainable horticulture practices along the Front Range • The Gabriel Foundation – provide youth and family presentations • Garden Clubs – including the Northern Colorado Railroad Gardeners, Northern Colorado Daylily Club, Rocky Mountain Chapter of the North American Rock Garden Society, and Colorado Dahlia Society • Girl Scouts of Colorado – complete service learning projects as part of scout badge programs • Junior League – volunteered during our Harvest Festival • Larimer County Cooperative Extension – co-host Twilight Garden Series, High Plains Landscape Workshop, and provide Master Gardeners to teach classes • Larimer County Workforce Center – host internships • Larimer County Youth Conservation Corps – AgriCorps projects in the Garden of Eatin’ • Let’s Move! Museums and Gardens – part of a national campaign to prevent childhood obesity through gardening and cooking programs • Mothers Center of Fort Collins – assist in the expansion of youth programs through community outreach • National Charity League – mother/daughter volunteers assisted with youth programs, garden projects and special events throughout the year • Northern Colorado Beekeepers Association – youth programs and special events • Partners Mentoring Youth – a senior/junior mentoring program that participated in several volunteer opportunities at the Gardens on Spring Creek • Plant Select® – host a Plant Select® demonstration site • Poudre School District – host school field trips and service learning projects • Regional botanic gardens – collaborate with staff of regional botanic gardens including Denver Botanic Gardens, Cheyenne Botanic Garden, Yampa River Botanical Gardens, and Betty Ford Alpine Gardens • Spellbinders – story time for many youth and special events • United Way – volunteer site for Make a Difference Day; member of the Technical Assistance Partnership; and part of DOVIA (Directors of Volunteers In Agencies). United Way helped with volunteer recruitment/pairing assistance for The Gardens • U.S. Forest Service – school field trip planning and grant collaboration • University of Colorado Health – partnered with CanDo on the Community Garden Outreach Program and Garden to Fork cooking series • Volunteers of America– host site for the RSVP program 7 Special Events Special events continued to grow in 2013. The Spring Plant Sale, in conjunction with the Horticulture Departments at Colorado State University and Front Range Community College, was the largest fundraiser of the year. More than 2,400 shoppers purchased over $40,000 of plants with proceeds split among the three horticulture education institutions. The new Music in the Gardens series was a tremendous success. Throughout the summer, over 300 people attended three small concerts featuring local musicians. Special thanks to the Bohemian Foundation for supporting this new event as Presenting Sponsor. We mixed things up with Garden a’Fare this year with great response. More than 100 guests enjoyed Wine Night featuring Canyon Chophouse, Whole Foods, CSU’s Ram’s Point Winery, and vegetables grown in the Garden of Eatin’. The new Beer Tour featured delicious samples from six local restaurants paired with Odell brews. Combined, the events had nearly 250 guests and raised $6,500 for garden programs. All told, special events attracted 24,557 visitors and netted $73,716 for gardens operations. We could not host our events without our amazing sponsors. Thanks to each of them for their financial support. 6 grew due to increased attendance during spring break and summer camps—3,984 students participated in fun and educational programs that connect children with our natural world. Parent-child classes were a popular, new addition. Look for an expansion of this program in 2014. Horticulture The Horticulture staff was busy growing plants in 2013. We grew 6,800 annuals and perennials for the Parks Department; 20,660 annuals, perennials, and vegetable starts for use in the gardens and the Spring Plant Sale, and 600 holiday plants for sale in December. Earth tubs were installed allowing us to create our first batch of compost utilizing food waste and garden debris. The compost will be used in the Garden of Eatin’ in the spring. In an effort to catalog our plant collection, The Gardens partnered with the Parks Department and City of Fort Collins Utilities to purchase plant database software. Staff and volunteers have been busy entering plants in the system with the overall goal of having plant information and locations available to the public on our website. 4 Each of these projects highlights unique collaborations, creative solutions, and connection with community that truly makes the Gardens on Spring Creek our community botanic garden. Mission: To enrich the lives of people and foster environmental stewardship through horticulture. Vision: To be world-class botanic garden that is community oriented, educational, experiential, 2 and sustainable. 3 Jax Farm & Ranch Jax Fish House Kaiser Permanente KUNC FM LaPorte Avenue Nursery Lawn Doctor Liebl Landscape Lindgren Landscape Loveland Water & Power Modern Woodmen Fraternal Financial Moot House Odell Brewing Company OtterCares Outpost Sunsport Ram’s Point Winery Savory Spice Shop Spoons Soups Salads Starbucks Summit Lawn and Landscape Sustainescapes Swingle The Rock Garden Throgmorton Plant Management University of Colorado Health Ward Orthodontics Waterwise Land & Waterscapes Whole Foods Market Wilbur’s Total Beverage Wild Iris Living Zak George Landscaping GARDENS on Spring Creek