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Brooklyn Botanic Garden 2006 Annual Report
Contributions and Membership
Brooklyn Botanic Garden gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the thousands of individuals, foundations, corporations, and government agencies that have made it possible for us to thrive and advance in our mission—bringing the beauty of nature, the enrichment of environmental education, and the advancement of scientific research to New York City and the world.
Guests at Passport to Summer, hosted by the New Leaders Circle, enjoy an elegant evening picnic in the Garden in June.
More than 16,000 members worldwide enjoy the benefits of membership and provide nearly $1 million in critical operating support; 80% renewed their support from the previous year. The Garden hosted a series of annual special events to thank members for their commitment. Nearly 4,000 visitors enjoyed Members' Summer Evenings and Sunset Picnics from late May through early September; and hundreds of members enjoyed the Garden Gift Shop's Members' Double Discount Weekend, in December. On Forsythia Day, in April, nearly 700 members came to the Garden to receive the gift of a Forsythia 'Golden Times.' And at our Members' Plant Sale Preview, in early May, 1,400 members got their pick of the best specimens at the popular annual plant sale, which is coordinated by the BBG Auxiliary to raise funds to support the Garden's collections and programs.
Throughout the year, BBG celebrated a variety of other exciting private events with donors and members, including the publication of Begonias: Cultivation, Identification, and Natural History, by BBG's horticultural taxonomist Mark Tebbitt, and Wildflowers in the Field and Forest, coauthored by vice president of Science Steven Clemants, as well as the exhibition opening of "Mizue Sawano: Art of the Cherry Tree" in the Steinhardt Gallery. And it was a special privilege to host a series of events that allowed us to introduce donors and funders to BBG's new president, Scot Medbury.
In the past year, BBG expanded its membership benefits by creating a Blooming Alert service on its website whereby members can register to receive e-mail updates on what is currently in bloom at the Garden. BBG also increased to 40 the number of Membership Partners, businesses and services that extend benefits to our members, including area restaurants and garden and flower shops.
BBG's Gager Society recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution toward the annual operating needs of the Garden. President Scot Medbury and the Board of Trustees offered special thanks at the annual Gager Society Dinner in May, which was attended by more than 200 supporters. The Garden also hosts Gager Society Trips to introduce society members to horticultural gems throughout the region. In May, members traveled to New Jersey for a behind-the-scenes tour of Greenwood Gardens, a new public garden and formerly the family home of Peter Blanchard, as well as the private garden of plant collector Don Stott.
Robert Field, Roberta Baum, Brooklyn Cyclones' Sandy the Seagull, Steve Cohen, and Susanna Furfaro enjoy BBG's eighth annual family party, cochaired by Baum and Furfaro.
The Garden is also grateful to its Forsythia Society members, more than 100 generous individuals who have included BBG in their will or estate plans. Members and guests of the society came to the Garden for special receptions in the spring and fall that included private tours of the newly renovated Osborne Garden and the Cranford Rose Garden.
Friends of the Garden contributed over $600,000 to BBG through four special fund-raising events over the past year. In March, more than 300 guests attended BBG's Garden & Antiques Show Preview Party, held at the 67th Regiment Armory, near Gramercy Park in Manhattan. They enjoyed cocktails and received first access to a wide range of exhibitors, including BBG's own Garden Gift Shop, offering for sale antique garden furniture, exceptional plants, and other garden elements. The eighth annual Family Party, with the theme "Return to Treasure Island," transformed BBG into a lush tropical oasis in June. At this sold-out event, cochairs Roberta Baum and Susanna Furfaro led a band of pirates and performers who shared the riches of their crafts, games, botanical activities, and music with more than 800 children and their families.
Also in June, BBG's Spring Gala provided an opportunity for donors and guests to meet Scot Medbury and celebrate his first spring at the Garden. Event cochairs Earl Weiner, chairman of the Board of Trustees, and Lois Carswell, chairman emeritus, welcomed more than 400 guests, who enjoyed cocktails in the Cranford Rose Garden and dinner in the Palm House. Later that month, the New Leaders Circle brought together 300 young professionals for "Passport to Summer—A Picnic Under the Stars." Sunset cocktails were followed by a gourmet picnic supper and then dancing under the stars.