CGC Updates: Fall 2024

We’ve had a busy fall! Here’s what we’ve been up to since our last update.

The Fall Native Plant Festival

On September 7, the Fall Native Plant Festival returned for its second year. We loved sharing the beautiful autumn day with our community of growers, vendors, musicians, presenters, volunteers and shoppers. Thank you for supporting our efforts to bring more native plants to our region!

(If you like to look ahead, save May 3 for GrowFest and September 6 for the Fall Native Plant Festival in 2025.)

The Green Teens Challenge

Year Two of our Green Teens Challenge started in September. (Check out the book…we’re proud of it!) This year, we introduced four tracks that students can follow depending on their interests: Conservation, Urban Agriculture, Activism and Service. So far, we’ve 67 entries from 12 different schools. We’ve also gotten to engage with 138 students over ten school visits, where we get to introduce the challenges to the students, and we’ve held five field studies here at the CGC for 75 students. The year is off to the a great start!

November’s challenges focus on celebrating the harvest. Students will be working on their choice of three challenges: a Local Food Map, a Seasonal Menu, and a Community Meal. Would you be interested in judging? Sign up for our Education team and we’ll keep you in the loop!

Community Action Agency Planting

In October, we teamed up with the Cincinnati-Hamilton County Community Action Agency (CAA) to install a pollinator garden just outside the Cincinnati Library’s Bond Hill branch and the Head Start Preschool! Special thanks to Barnes Dennig for bringing the volunteers and to Sustainable Sights Landscaping for lending their expertise.

As our work in conservation and, specifically, urban habitat restoration expands, this collaboration with the CAA gives us the opportunity to effectively assist community members with the creation and long-term maintenance of a great public greenspace. We hope to build a lasting people-plant connection at the CAA headquarters and expose a new generation to the beauty and value of native plants. This pollinator garden partnership is the first of many, and we look forward to watching it grow!

Nurturing the Mind

In early November, we wrapped up our third Nurturing the Mind series in partnership with the Episcopal Retirement Services Center for Memory Support and Inclusion! These biweekly dementia-friendly gatherings allow people living with dementia and their care partners to socialize and engage in activities in a safe, welcoming environment. This time around, we explored four different areas guided by people who have traveled there. This series is always such a joy to prepare for and share!

New Staff

In August, our beloved Program Associate, Kaela, left the CGC to move home to Chicago. In the newly titled Environmental Education Specialist position, we’re excited to now have Luis Aguilar. Luis helps us run everything from Lil’ Sprouts to Compost Kids to Green Teens.

Then in October, our former Community Engagement Coordinator, Shelby, gave birth to her twin daughters. We are so happy for Shelby and her family…and also thrilled to welcome our new CEC, Brandon Reynolds, to the team! Brandon coordinates our volunteer program, but he’s also hard at work finding additional ways for the CGC to engage with our community.

Luis and Brandon both bring incredible enthusiasm and strengths to our team. Keep an eye out and say hello if you see them!

New Board Members

We’re pleased to announce the addition of two new board members!

Peter Wimberg brings a wealth of experience and insight to our mission through his over four decades of experience as CEO/President of Wimberg Landscaping and a BSBA in Finance from Xavier University. Peter's board experience includes the Ault Park Advisory Council, Madisonville Education and Assistance Center, Queen City Wheels and the Ohio Senior Olympics. His volunteer work spans trail maintenance in Ault Park and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and mentoring through Xavier University Executive Mentoring Program. As a genuine outdoors enthusiast, Peter enjoys hiking, gardening and cycling. He resides in Mt. Lookout with his wife, Molly, and their three dogs.

After working as a journalist and editor in the U.S. and abroad, Caroline Porter has dedicated the past decade to modernizing business, product and civic models for news and information: growing two start-ups, producing research for the field, and consulting for a mix of media companies, nonprofits and academic organizations. In addition to teaching and presenting regularly, she partners, consults and publishes with industry stakeholders to innovate in journalism’s business and civic models. In her most recent role at the National Trust for Local News, she served as the director of impact and strategic partnerships. Caroline worked as a staff reporter for The Wall Street Journal in the Chicago and Los Angeles bureaus and taught Reporting & Writing at Northwestern University’s Medill School. As a Fulbright Scholar in Northern Ireland, Caroline researched the role of media in the post-conflict region. Caroline currently serves as Principal for her consultancy, Ralstin Agency.

Looking Ahead

Winter Open House

Come celebrate the year with the CGC community! Whether you’re a donor, volunteer, partner or class attendee, we’d love to show our appreciation for your continued support. This year, we'll be filling up our auditorium and library with live music, a special holiday cocktail, refreshments and treats for the entire family, and more. Drop by any time between 4:30 and 6:30pm and let us say THANK YOU for a great year together! RSVP here!

Greenspace Guardians

Our new Greenspace Guardians certification is an 11-month training that blends classroom time with on-site visits and experiences with local restoration projects. By the program's conclusion, participants will develop relationships with regional conservation organizations and acquire many skills necessary to assume leadership roles in the long-term management of public green spaces. We’re thrilled to be offering it starting in January! Sign up for the interest list to stay in the loop.

CGDT

It’s almost that time again: time for CGDT, our recently renamed Civic Gardener Development Training! Whether you’re a backyard gardener or a community gardener, no matter your level of experience, our free 11-session series will teach you to grow where you are. It’s always such a pleasure to watch participants learn and grow and then take their new skills out into the community.