Woodstock nursery plans hosta fundraiser
A Hosta Sale and Fundraiser is planned from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 9, at Rich’s Foxwillow Pines Nursery Inc., 11618 McConnell Road in Woodstock. All proceeds benefit Heifer International and Mano a Mano International Partners.
The Hosta Sale has several hundred varieties of hostas for sale to benefit Heifer International. All hostas are $5 and up.
Heifer International is a nonprofit, humanitarian organization dedicated to ending world hunger and poverty and caring for the earth. It provides livestock, trees, training, and other resources to help struggling families build sustainable futures. The recipients of the animals must “pass on the gift” of the first female offspring and training in environmentally-sound agriculture to another family in need. In this manner, an endless cycle of transformation is set in motion as recipients become equal partners in ending poverty and hunger. Heifer International has provided food- and income-producing animals to more than 8.5 million impoverished families in 125 countries in the last 67 years. Visit www.heifer.org.
Rich Eyre worked with this organization in the Peace Corps 44 years ago in Bolivia and he can give testimony to its positive effects in those communities. Rich and Susan Eyre served six years on the board of trustees of the Heifer Foundation. Ed Slomski coordinated volunteers to help divide and sell the hostas. Volunteers will be available to answer any questions about Heifer International on the day of the sale. Refreshments will be served.
The Fundraiser for Mano a Mano International Partners will raise money to build hospitals, schools, roads, and irrigation projects in rural Bolivia. There will be a variety of items for sale. Mano a Mano was originated by a fellow Peace Corps volunteer — Joan Velasquez and her husband, Segundo. In 2008, she won the Sargent Shriver Award for Distinguished Humanitarian Service awarded to a Returning Peace Corps Volunteer. Visit www.manoamano.org.
From 10 a.m. to noon, a Hosta Leaf Identification will be held. Tom Michiletti, former president of the American Hosta Society and Midwest Regional Hosta Society, and founder and first president of the Northern Illinois Hosta Society, will be available to identify hostas for people who bring the leaves of unknown hostas.
A Hosta Q&A will be held at 1 p.m. Bring your questions to Tom Michiletti for a question-and-answer session. He is an expert on hostas and he can instruct the group on hosta sizes, sun requirements, and cultural information. It is cash or check only. For details, call (815) 338-7442.