Awards
The Maplewood Garden Club has recently received the following awards:
2024 GCNJ Pines Lake Garden Club Trophy
Is presented to a member club for arrangements and/or decorations of plant material in keeping with an historic building which is public and non-commercial.
This is the second year in a rwo that MGC won the award for their work in Holiday Season Dickens Village Entry
2024 Garden Club of Mountain Lakes Silver Trophy
The Garden Club of Mountain Lakes Silver Trophy is presented to a member club for an outstanding project related to wildflower preservation. MGC won this award for organizing a Native Plant Garden Walk last summer to showcase established native gardens by various gardeners in Maplewood & South Orange. The objectives were to see how these gardeners took their knowledge of native plantings to create abundant, thriving landscapes that nurtured pollinators, birds, insects, & wildlife; to inspire others to plant native gardens; & to answer any questions visiting members might have about planting native.
2023 GCNJ President’s Project Award
Three $1,000 grants were awarded to local NJ Garden Clubs, working with other local organizations, for a project that focused on the planting of Native Trees. Our approved grant application proposed that MGC would work in coordination with the Maplewood Memorial Park Conservancy to plant native trees at the north end of the park to replace the aging and diseased shade trees deteriorating around the playground at Valley St. and Oakland Rd.
2023 GCNJ Ringwood Garden Club Trophy
Is presented to a member club for outstanding decoration of a public building for a special occasion.
MGC won the award for their work in Holiday Season Decoration of the Maplewood RailRoad Station
Maplewood Memorial Library Foundation
At our November 2023 meeting, the Garden Club presented a $5,000 check to Ben Cohen, President of the Maplewood Memorial Library Foundation, and Sarah Lester, Library Director, for the construction of the new Main Library. The connection between the Garden Club and the Library began with the building of the Main Library in the 1950s. MGC contributed to the original construction as well as the 1970s addition plus funded plantings, tables and media equipment over the years. Beginning in the 1950s, MGC held its monthly meetings, workshops and flower shows at the Library. Ben Cohen expressed appreciation for MGC’s donation and noted that MGC would be listed on the donor honor wall. Sarah Lester also thanked the Club and expressed her hope that the Library will be able to welcome MGC back in the fall of 2024.