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Brooklyn Botanic Garden 2003 Annual Report
Volunteers
More than 700 volunteers generously contributed close to 50,000 hours of their valuable time to help the Garden grow. From assisting various departments in their day-to-day tasks to staffing special events such as Sakura Matsuri, BBG volunteers displayed a remarkable level of commitment.
The Garden's annual Forsythia Day ceremony honors civic and philanthropic leaders of the borough with an award named after the official flower of Brooklyn. In 2003, the Forsythia Award was presented to Brooklyn native Seth Faison for his four decades of valuable volunteer service to many of Brooklyn's health, cultural, and educational institutions. The Forsythia Youth Award was presented to 18-year-old Yekaterina Sulima—a student representative of the Brooklyn Academy of Science and the Environment and a member of the Prospect Park Alliance Youth Council—for her contributions to the improvement of the community and the environment.
Director of Visitor Services and Volunteers Lou Cesario (far left) and BBG President Judy Zuk (far right) joined with volunteers Abe Schwartz, Sheila Harris, Mary O'Connor, and Ellen Borker on Volunteer Recognition Day to honor their 15 years of service to the Garden.
The 225-member BBG Auxiliary lent vital support to the Garden's events and programs. The Auxiliary's annual Plant Sale, the second-largest benefit plant sale in the United States, was widely attended by horticulturists and gardeners from throughout the region. Three days of warm weather helped organizers and volunteers sell out all the plants. The Auxiliary also published another two editions of The Volunteer and Staff Newsletter (now in its fourth year), which features articles on gardening as well as profiles of staff and volunteers. Highlights included an in-depth look at the 75th anniversary of the Cranford Rose Garden, including profiles of all BBG's rosarians, past and present.
Twenty-five new Garden Guides were recruited in 2003 to lead weekday, weekend, and special-event tours of BBG.
At the annual Volunteer Recognition Dinner, Milton Malone received the Magnolia Award for having the most documented hours of service throughout the year. The Merit Award was given to Auxiliary member and former Garden Guide Sally Freedman, who for more than 25 years has volunteered in many departments, including Membership, Visitor Services, and Education. Most recently, Ms. Freedman has taken on the job of helping to archive the Garden's extensive organizational photo collection. The Merit Award was first given in 1976 to volunteers who have performed outstanding service to assist the staff and benefit the Garden as a whole and who have fostered the advancement of botany and service to the community.