Elmhurst Garden Club donates to Cool Cities Coalition
The Elmhurst Garden Club has made a donation to the Elmhurst Cool Cities Coalition with money earmarked for community programming on environmental issues.
One of the club's missions is to protect the environment through education. That aligns with the mission of Elmhurst Cool Cities, which is to educate the community on high-priority environmental issues and solutions to address them. The alliance is key in providing educational programming to the community.
Programs supported through past donations include composting, plight of the monarch and sponsorship of the One Earth Film Festival.
"Elmhurst Garden Club is committed to working closely with community organizations in Elmhurst that sponsor programs in nature and protection of the environment," club President Donna Fredrickson said. "Through our Garden Walk Fund, we support organizations such as Cool Cities, Elmhurst Park District, Ray Graham Learning Center, gardens at York Community High School and Elmhurst College Arboretum."
This year, Elmhurst Garden Club and Elmhurst Cool Cities are co-hosting the Children's Monarch Festival on July 9 in Wilder Park in conjunction with Elmhurst Garden Club's Garden Walk and Faire. The park district and city are co-sponsors of the festival.
Activities will include a keynote address by Pat Miller, a live butterfly tent, face painting, Be-a-Monarch photo op, make-and-take crafts, free milkweed seed giveaways and educational opportunities.
Vendors include the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, DuPage Monarch Project, Natural Communities Native Plants, University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners, Elmhurst Public Library and Elmhurst Cool Cities.
"As we celebrate our 10th anniversary, we are grateful for the support of the Elmhurst Garden Club," said Lisa Gerhold-Dirks, chairwoman of Cool Cities. "They have been an active partner of the coalition since 2007, and we look forward to continued collaboration as we move into the next 10 years of creating a more sustainable city."
Elmhurst Garden Club, with more than 100 members, is open to anyone interested in gardening. Annual dues are $35.
Most meetings are held on the first Monday of the month at the Wilder Mansion in Wilder Park. For details, visit elmhurstgardenclub.org.