Dear PGC Members,
I am very excited for the upcoming year in the Pepperell Garden Club. I am hoping that everyday life gets back to normal after the past few years of dealing with the epidemic. Despite the challenges Covid threw at us, the club membership has done a great job keeping the momentum going with our goal of community beautification, the development of interesting and informative programs as well as staying connected and supporting each other.
As your new president and fairly new member to the PGC, I have goals that I hope to meet in the next few years. For the past two years as vice-president, I took it upon myself to really get to understand the mission of the Pepperell Garden Club, as well as the inner workings of the various committees. However my main goal was to get to know our members and what they hoped to get out of being a PGC member.
I felt that this was important as the PGC, and many other garden clubs around the country, are struggling to maintain memberships as well as to help memberships grow. Based on the results of the survey sent out this past spring, my first goal will be to focus on our current membership by creating new opportunities and benefits to being a PGC member. First, I want to create a “mentoring” program to connect new members to who we are and what we do. Although I have been part of the PGC for almost five years, I feel like I know very little about what we do and how we do it. I realized that “I don’t know what I don’t know”. I would also like to recognize individual members for their contributions throughout the season, developing projects that could help members with their own personal garden goals, as well as to help “lighten the load” for those members who constantly show up by encouraging others to jump in when they can. I realized as I was reading the feedback from the surveys that we have knowledgeable, experienced and creative members who want to participate if given some flexibility and freedom to do so.
We have lots to do in the next year. The gardens at the rotary will need to be modified due to new road construction. The town of Pepperell also has new projects planned and is asking for the PGC’s input. I am committed to continue the good work of presidents past, as well as contribute to the growth of the Pepperell Garden Club.
Theresa LeBlanc
Club President