I would like to nominate The Morning Glories Garden Club as Citizen Group of the Month. The Morning Glories, led by Joyce Ray as President, were recently awarded the Community Service Award Club at the annual DeKalb Federation of Garden Clubs Awards luncheon held at Callanwolde.
The City of Tucker currently has six active garden clubs: SmokeRise Garden Club, the Mountain Mums, Winding Woods, Lake Ivanhoe, Four Seasons and the Morning Glories. The Morning Glories began in 1970, breaking off from the SmokeRise Garden Club. SR garden club was a nighttime club and the Morning Glories wanted to meet in the daytime, hence their name, the Morning Glories!
The 32 ladies of the Morning Glories have been very busy, even finding ways for community service during Covid. The club received the School Grounds Improvement Grant which gave them funds to partner with a local elementary school, SmokeRise Elementary. Working with the STEM teacher, a space was designated & raised beds were constructed, ready for Fall planting at the school.
The ladies partnered with Tucker First United Methodist Church & Networks to collect plastic grocery bags, cut them into strips and crochet the strips into Mercy Mats for the homeless. In addition to the mats, the ladies bought and donated toys for Wellroot Children’s Services and collected gift cards and food for Networks.
The Morning Glories sponsor a Youth Garden Club, the Daffadillies, at a local school, educating children on the joys of gardening. The club maintains the Blue Star Memorial at SmokeRise Elementary School, placing a wreath there on Memorial Day. The Morning Glories participate in the Fig Leaf Project by collecting and donating socks and underwear for the VA hospital. Pull tabs are collected for the local Ronald McDonald House to provide funds for families of pediatric patients hospitalized locally. The ladies also decorate the historic Wells Brown House with period appropriate Christmas decorations collected from their gardens. Christmas cards are also collected, signed and mailed to hundreds of overseas veterans each year.
In addition to these projects all of the garden clubs contribute to local and nature related organizations such as: Trees Atlanta, the Tucker Nature Preserve, Atlanta Audubon Society, Georgia Piedmont Trust, and local Friends of Tucker Parks.
Most of the clubs participate in Horticultural Therapy, connecting gardening and garden related crafts with our local assisted living communities.
Garden Clubs do a lot more than just garden! They enrich our community by beautifying areas, volunteering services and contributing to local charities: all while making lasting friendships in the neighborhoods where they live.
Nomination by Gaye Auman
