2024-2026
Audio-Visual: Marilynn Bezdek
This member is responsible for the storage, maintenance and use of the club’s equipment,
Awards: Jean Goetz
This coordinator recommends members and projects for special reognition and encourages promoting NGC, Inc., Central Region, MGC, Inc. and District 2B projects. The Awards chair helps the board recognize potential new activities which can earn awards.
Backdoor Gardeners: Patty Cotter
Carole Armstrong, Cathy Claypool, Theresa Cooper, Kathy Stepanovich, Elaine High, Colleen Hyslop, Sue Knapp, Jo-anne Tuttle, Viishakha Dagli, Greta Wu
Charitable Giving: Board of Directors
This committee researches and develops a potential list of grant recipients for approval by club members. Criteria for appropriate organizations include: their status as 501(c)3, having a gardening focus related to our club’s objectives, and a mission to benefit our local community.
Community Outreach Projects: Jean Goetz
This committee welcomes new ideas for community-related club projects. It coordinates the club’s outreach efforts and collaboration with schools, businesses and other community groups when there is a gardening or environmental focus. Examples of some activities with adults and children: horticultural lectures, aristic displays, Arbor Day activities, garden walks, promoting pollinators, planting bulbs and making bouquets at the Ingham County Medical Care Facility (ICMCF)
Educational Moments: Patty Cotter
This coordinator arranges for members to present brief, five minute, informative presentations at club meetings. Topics include issues related to the environment, horticulture and floral design. Addditionally, in preparation for flower shows, there are opportunities for the members to present plants for preliminary evaluation by accredited judges who are also members.
Facebook: Melinda Pope
This coordinator maintains the club’s public Facebook pages.
Flower Pressing: Tressa McAllister
This committee holds crafting sessions to create designs from nature. Framed items, cards and bookmarks are exhibited and sold at local libraries and garden club district meetings.
Flower Shows and Floral Design: Sue Wittick, Lois Snover-Hanson
This coordinator organizes the club’s participation in flower shows; promotes floral design skills through make-and-take workshops for our club; organies holiday swag constructio by club members for the Historic Village.
Fundraising: Sue Lohman
This committee plans and executes fundraising activities that help to finance club projects and operations. Support comes from the entire membership with people volunteering to help as needed. Sales of pressed flower art, nursery gift certificates, bulbs and holiday floral designs are all part of the fundraising effort.
Galivanting Gardeners: JoAnn Peterson
The committee researches and arranges local tours of gardens and field trips in our region that might be of interest to members during the summer months.’
Grants and Donations: The Board of Directors
The Board researches possible funding opportunities to support club projects by organizing the preparation and submission of grant proposals.
Graphic Design: Sue Wittick, Nita Campbell
These members are available to create graphics as needed by the club.
Historian: Sue Knapp
The club’s Historian archives awards, press releases, and mementos in yearly scrapbooks.
Holiday Luncheon: Jo-anne Tuttle
This committee organizes the venue, food and decorations for the holiday luncheon in December.
Hostesses: Elaine High
This member coordinates members who provide refreshments for each meeting and clean-up afterwards.
The Friends of Historic Meridian Liaison: Kathy Opperwall
The club liaison to the Friends of Historic Meridian maintains communication with the executive director of the Meridian Historical Village, Information from their seasonal newsletters and annual meeting is shared with the board and with club members in our newsletter and at meetings=.
Membership Committee: Jo-anne Tuttle, Ellen Whipple
The Vice Presidents head this committee, which welcomes guests and new members. Background information is requested when joining the club which is used to assign an appropriate veteran member as a mentor. The mentor will suggest areas for the new member’s involvement with the club and its mission. A photo will be taken by our club photographer to include with the newcomer’s contact information and in the club’s directory and newsletter. New members receive a copy of the current club yearbook.
Meridian Gardens : Tressa McAllister
This committee oversees all the community gardens that are maintained by club members. Coordinators of the 13 gardens are: Melody Potter (Admin/Blue Star), Patty Cotter (Backdoor),
Barb Sears (Barnes House, Brick House), Sally Gray (Chapel/Gazebo), Kthy Koryba (Grettenberger Farmhouse), Madeline Masterson and Becky Cawood (Plant It Pink), Tressa McCallister (Post Office); Finette LaBoda and Simar Pawar (Safety Gardens), JoAnn Peterson (Twohy Memorial)
Newsletter: Barb Sears
This coordinaor creates our monthly newsletter, ‘The Meridian Gardener”, which is distributed digitally and posted on the website. Deadlines for news items are set. Occasionally scheduling updates and emergency communications are emailed to members. Members are encouraged to submit garden-related articles and photos of interest.
Photography: Sue Wittick
This coordinator keeps a photographic record of club events. The photos are available for use in the yearbook, newsletters, and other club publications. ID photos are taken of new members. Photos taken by members are welcome and will be archived for future use.
Plant Marker Labels: Emma Reardon
Plant Sale: Georgia Styka
This is our club’s major annual fundraiser. The committee asks all members to participate by preparing plants to sell and staffing the sale on Saturday, May 17, 2025.
Printing: Georgia Styka
This member is responsible for printing materials needed by the club.
Website: (Open position) Theresa Cooper, pro-tem
This coordinator updates the club’s public website to maintain the image of our mission in the community, offers information to new prospective members and keeps information and links up-to-date. The website also has a “members only” section for club procedures, newsletters, meeting minutes, etc.
Yearbook: Nita Campbell
This coordinator is responsible for producing the club yearbook, works primarily during the summer, and welcomes ideas, photographs and artwork from the general membership. The board is asked to establish a theme and to help in updating the information.
Youth Activities Coordinator: Open Position
Township Parks & Rec Contact: Kati Adams
Email: kadams@meridian.mi.us Phone: 349-3866
