How the CGC Became My Second Home

By Sue Sturgeon, President, CGC Board of Directors

So, how did the CGC become my second home, you ask? Well, hopping into Master Gardener classes just a week after graduation from P&G was official, reconnecting with work colleagues who had done the same a few years before me, and the memory of a Community Gardens tour with a very dear friend some years before all aligned to start me down this road.

It turned out those colleagues were ardent volunteers for the Plant, Herb and Hosta Sale (now known as THE Plant Sale) and asked me to help with the former Connoisseur’s Corner booth. How could I say no when Marge explained that what we had to do was shop for special and unusual plants at local growers? Pretty much like visiting candy stores for gardeners! And getting to know a whole lot more about the green industry in our region.

Helping with that booth evolved into helping with the full Sale and then chairing THE Plant Sale up until now. That led to helping with a strategic planning effort, which morphed into joining the CGC Board of Directors. For the past seven years, I’ve been privileged to serve as President of the Board.

So that’s the ‘cliff notes’ version of my volunteer path with the Civic Garden Center. It doesn’t begin to reveal the great people, great challenges, and great gardening education that comes to anyone who volunteers with the CGC. And those aspects are what keep me coming back, looking for more ways to help this organization thrive—now and in the future.

If you haven’t already joined me in volunteering at the CGC, why not consider joining the mission in 2023?  You just might find your second home, too.