Committees
Our committees either perform work for the community in keeping with our service commitments or support the operations of our club. Each club member is expected to participate in one or more committee activities during the club year.
Beautification
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One of the most significant Committees in the Club is the Beautification Committee. This is true gardening including planning, purchasing, planting, fertilizing, watering, pruning, and weeding garden beds and planters, both perennial and annual.
Most new members spend some time on this Committee learning more about gardening and helping make our Town beautiful.
Floral Design
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Arts in Bloom/Hopkinton Center for the Arts
The Hopkinton Garden Club partners with the Hopkinton Center for the Arts to stage the “Arts in Bloom” show. The HGC/HCA Arts in Bloom show highlights many floral arrangements created by club members to interpret select pieces of artwork. Floral arranging is truly an art and this well attended show is always eagerly anticipated by the general public as a rite of Spring!
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Books in Bloom/Friends of the Hopkinton Public Library
Our club partners with the Friends of the Hopkinton Public Library to stage the “Books in Bloom” show. The show highlights numerous floral arrangements created by club members to interpret select book covers. Floral designs are placed throughout the library with their book covers for all to enjoy.
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Boston Flower Show
Our club generally competes in the GCFM’s Design Division of a standard flower at the Boston Flower Show, Division I, Class 107 Club Competition. This is an exciting opportunity for our members to stretch their imaginations and showcase their creative talents.
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Veterans' Breakfasts
On the first Friday of each month, the Senior Center hosts the town’s resident veterans for a special breakfast. The Committee meets on the first Thursday of each month from September through June to arrange centerpieces at the Senior Center in Hopkinton. Committee members take turns chairing the arrangement design and deciding whether to purchase flowers at a local florist or to use plant material from our own gardens.
Fundraisers
The Club plans fundraisers every year to raise money for the club's civic and educational activities.
Plant Sale
Our annual Plant Sale, held in May, offers perennials, annuals, vegetables contributed from member gardens, purchased from local wholesalers, donated by local nurseries, and grown by members. Community members sometimes offer plants from their yards for our sale.
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Greens Sale
Our Greens Sale, held in early December, offers table arrangements, decorated wreaths and other festive greenery to celebrate the holiday and to help fund club activities.
Greens Sale volunteers help to procure and setup the member workshop and sale venues, obtain adornments and other materials, work with members to obtain cut greens from their yards, and work with publicity to widely advertise the sale. All members then participate in a fun workshop to create items for the sale.
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Business Sponsorship Fund Drive
An annual outreach effort asking local businesses to contribute funds to support our beautification efforts via a sponsorship program. In turn, HGC recognizes the business at their sponsored site and via publicity materials. This is a great chance to meet local business owners and share our interest in a vibrant downtown community.
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Marathon Runner
Non-profit organizations can apply to the town for a runner's bib for the annual Boston Marathon. Our club then works to engage with a runner who agrees to raise money and run for our club.
Holiday Decorating
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Holiday Gazebo Decorating
The Veterans Memorial Gazebo on the Hopkinton Town Common provides the Club with the opportunity to help make the community a festive holiday place. Lights are hung, and greens and wreaths are strategically placed to make the gazebo beautiful. The Downtown Revitalization's Annual Holiday Walk ends at the Gazebo with hot chocolate for all.
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Holiday Library Decorating
A longstanding community beautification effort, this Committee decorates the Hopkinton Town Library right after Thanksgiving for the December and New Year holidays. Greens and ribbons abound and the public truly enjoys the scene and has often commented that this is the most memorable event that we do in town!
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Wayside Inn Holiday Decorating
The Hopkinton Garden Club decorates a room during the Christmas season at the historic Wayside Inn located in Sudbury, Massachusetts. Garden clubs are selected by the Sudbury Garden Club, by invitation only, to participate in an interior design working with a theme selected by the management of the Wayside Inn. This committee is a terrific way for garden club members to transfer their creative talents from the garden to indoors during the winter season.
Activity Planning for Members
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Challenge Plant
For those unafraid to take a risk and perhaps have a good laugh, every October a "Challenge Plant" is chosen. Members can choose to purchase the plant and grow it for several months at home. At the last meeting of the year, all the plants come back and a vote is taken as to the "best in show" and the "worst"! Not for the weak of heart! But it is great fun and members can show off their horticultural prowess.
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December Holiday Dinner
Every December, our members gather at a special venue to welcome this festive season amidst floral arrangements and decorations that celebrate the season. Good cheer and fare abound, carols are sung and the tradition continues for well over a dozen years whereby Club members welcome in another new year with each other.
Club Gatherings/Outings
This committee finds interesting and new gardening-related venues to visit. There is never a lack of interesting places to tour or visit. Outings are a great way to socialize with other members and expand our gardening knowledge base.
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Bulb Research and Ordering
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Member and Community Education and Town Events
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Family Day
Hopkinton’s annual Family Day is a community event featuring fun events for kids and families. Our club typically has a booth for pumpkin painting or other activity for kids. Members engage in planning the activity, getting the supplies, and setting up and running the booth. It is a great event for community outreach to attract new members to join our club.
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Garden Therapy Workshops at the Hopkinton Senior Center
Garden Therapy is the use of plants and the natural world to improve the social, spiritual, physical, mental and emotional well-being of individuals who participate in it. (Michelle Stewart & Antioch University). Volunteers plan the workshop activity, purchase supplies, make example pieces, set up the workshop for attendees, and lead and support the group in creating a horticultural item like a tussie mussie, holiday arrangement, or floral piece. Workshops can be augmented with related historical or other related information.
Speakers for Member and Community Meetings (Speaker Series)
Speaker Series Program planning involves researching speakers and workshop alternatives for club meetings based on club preferences, contracting and making all arrangements with selected speakers, and applying for program grants. The Program planning chair provides information on programs to our Community and Club Communications, Yearbook and other committees as necessary.
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Scholarships
Annually, the Hopkinton Garden Club offers students the opportunity to apply for a scholarship when pursuing a degree in horticulture, design, the environment and/or related subjects.
Publicity
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Public Media
Our media committee informs local papers and community internet sites about our upcoming events and club achievements.
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Social Networking
Our club maintains a Facebook page and Instagram account to post HGC upcoming events, events from other organizations, and information on all things gardening.
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HGC Interest List
Hopkinton and other community members can sign up at our events or via our website to receive information about our club events. HGC maintains this list and creates and sends communiques via email to the list members about our monthly speakers and annual fundraisers.
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Club Management and Administration
Board Meetings - Member at Large
Any member can volunteer to be a Member at Large. At Large members attend Board Meetings when they can and contribute their insights to Board Discussions. At Large members may be asked to participate in ad-hoc Board activities.
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Membership Management
Our Membership Committee manages all membership and prospecting activities. Membership includes renewals, membership list maintenance, and creating new member welcome packages (yearbook, Beautification Guide and gift). Prospecting includes ensuring membership material and interest sign-up lists are available at all events, maintaining a prospect list and informing them of monthly speakers and other key events. The chair is a primary advocate for attracting new members to our club.
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Member Meetings - Hospitality
Our hospitality committee coordinates with club members who take turns providing beverages and tasty treats for club meetings. Members who provide hospitality for a meeting also serve as greeters for visitors.
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Web Site Maintenance
Our website presents timely information to our community and club members about our upcoming events, notable achievements, membership information, committee descriptions, gardening and conservation resources and our contact email address.
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Document/Photo Library Management
The club maintains a secure on-line library of documents and photos for club members to use for reference, and as a foundation for creating future publications. Our library provides a central place to store our club materials which are updated by members on an as needed basis. Members may need help using the library, and the library must be periodically reviewed to remove older material, and ensure current material is being saved by key committees.