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Brooklyn Botanic Garden 2006 Annual Report
Volunteers
Brooklyn Botanic Garden is fortunate to have over 600 volunteers, who provided over 51,000 hours of volunteer service in the past year. Volunteers work in nearly all BBG departments and help with everything from filing to pulling weeds. They lead tour groups for children and adults, help at children's workshops, answer questions in the Visitor Center and the Gardener's Resource Center, and give their time and talents at every Public Programs event throughout the year. They bring with them the highest level of commitment.
BBG Shakespeare Garden curator Jennifer Shovlin, left, works with volunteer Melissa Rosenberg.
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 2006, the Distinguished Service Medal was presented to former trustee Charles J. Hamm for his nearly two decades of visionary support of the Garden. The Forsythia Award was given to Luis Garden Acosta and Frances Lucerna, the founders of El Puente, a Brooklyn-based community and human-rights organization. The Forsythia Youth Award was presented to Ebony M. Thurman, a sophomore at the Brooklyn Academy of Science and the Environment (BASE), for using her artistic talents to make a positive impact as a volunteer with the Groundswell Community Mural Project.
Once again the Brooklyn Botanic Garden Auxiliary drew record-breaking crowds to the annual Plant Sale, which this year had over 17,000 visitors. The three-day extravaganza offered more than 20,000 indoor and outdoor plants, backed by the horticultural know-how of BBG experts who were on hand to answer questions and help with selections. Led by Auxiliary members Lois Carswell and Lucille Plotz and nearly 100 volunteers, the plant sale was a huge success.
BBG's annual Garden Guide training program prepares a dedicated group of volunteers to lead formal tours and programs. This year, 14 new Weekday Garden Guides completed 72 hours of training, bringing the total number of trained guides to 136. This year's class began conducting tours for children and adults during BBG's busiest spring season in history.
At this year's Volunteer Recognition Dinner, BBG had the pleasure of presenting several awards to volunteers. Gertrude Conception received the Magnolia Award for the volunteer with the most documented hours during the past year, and this year's Merit Award recipient was Janet Otranto. Janet began volunteering at the Garden in 1997 and was one of the first volunteers to assist in the Gardener's Resource Center, where she still offers her time and skill. She also has taken on a leadership role at BBG's Plant Sale, overseeing the herb section. Janet, an artist, photographer, and gardener, also recently earned her Master Composter certification. The Merit Award, first given in 1976, recognizes volunteers who have performed outstanding service to assist the staff and benefit the Garden.