Community Support
Anna Coit Memorial Scholarship
This scholarship is awarded annually to a student pursuing further education in the fields of agriculture, horticulture, or related areas. More details are available on our Scholarship page.
Civic Development
The club maintains gardens and plantings at the Village Green, the Town Hall, the Clock Garden opposite, and at the Grange.
Every winter, the club purchases, and members decorate, evergreen wreaths to enhance public buildings and locations in North Stonington. You will see them at Town Hall, Wheeler Library, and many other special places in town.
Conservation
The club actively supports conservation efforts and conservation organizations within the region.
The Club is a dues-paying member of Avalonia Land Conservancy, Connecticut College Arboretum, Denison-Pequotsepos Nature Center, Friends of Harkness, Groton Open Space Association (GOSA), and Wilcox Park.
in 2019, we initiated a 3-year program to establish and expand habitat for monarch butterflies within North Stonington and surrounding communities. Follow us on Facebook or contact us for more information about these programs.
Community Grants
The club awards grants to other non-profit organizations for community and civic improvement projects relating to gardening and conservation, as well as projects that educate the public about gardening, horticulture, and conservation.
Examples of projects that were awarded funding support in recent years:
- Ashaway Free Library (to create an educational vegetable garden on its grounds)
- Avalonia Land Conservancy (toward acquisition of Babcock Ridge Preserve, and for interpretive signage at Tri-Town Preserve)
- Coogan Farm (contribution to acquisition by Denison Pequotspos Nature Center).
- Friends of Chikumbuso (for seeds and supplies for their educational garden in Lukasa, Zambia)
- GOSA (toward aquisition of Avery Farm Preserve in Groton, and subsequently for installation of a pollinator garden)
- New London Homeless Hospitality Center (to install raised beds for clients to raise vegetables for the Center’s meals programs)
- North Stonington’s Hewitt Farm (grants for signage, fencing, and a composting toilet).
- Wheeler Library (for their building fund)
- Riverside Children’s Center (for a tree planting program)
- West Vine Street School (for garden journals)
Community grant recipients in 2019 were:
- UConn’s Avery Point campus (toward installation of a childrens cognitive garden)
- Eastern Connecticut Community Gardens Association (to support their ongoing efforts to encourage community gardens)
- Moriarty Magnet School (to install a monarch waystation) Mandated school closures during the Covid-19 pandemic necessitated the postponement of this project. We are happy to offer an extension that will allow Moriarty students to implement their project in 2021.
- Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center (to install a community garden)
- United War Veterans Grand Army of the Republic (to install landscaping at Buckingham House historic home and museum)
Grants are awarded in years when finances permit. The cancellation of our 2020 Plant Sale meant were were unable to fund grants this year. If you would like to be kept apprised of future grant opportunities, please contact us at info@nsgardenclub.org.
This infographic illustrates how our funding was disbursed in 2018:
Community Education
Volunteers from the club offer award-winning programs on gardening, horticulture and related topics in our local schools. The club also funds a Scholarship.