Garden Club of Hendersonville Sets Up Grant Program for Teaching About Horticulture

The Garden Club of Hendersonville is sharing their love of plants and gardening through a grant program for elementary teachers in Henderson County Public Schools.

This teaching innovation grant program, administered by the Henderson County Education Foundation, Inc. (HCEF), promotes an interest in horticulture and horticulture education.

Two $500 grants for HCPS elementary school teachers are designed to be of significant benefit to their schools, students and teachers through activities or studies in horticulture and horticulture education. Any full-time elementary school teacher may apply for this grant funding through the Foundation.

“We are excited to support teacher grants as the latest vehicle for community service by our Club,” said Donalee Wermeister, Horticultural Education Chair. “We believe teachers, students and schools will directly benefit by creating new educational experiences that they normally would not have the opportunity to participate in,” she continued.

Dr. Paul Knott, HCEF Executive Director, described the critical value of contributions like the one from the Garden Club for Henderson County. “Local philanthropic dollars contributed through the Foundation can have a direct impact on our schools because they can be a catalyst for real change, providing funds for innovation and improvement,” he said. Knott said further, “Grants of all sizes are effectively put to work by the Foundation through the alignment of our purpose with that of the Henderson County Public Schools.”

The Garden Club of Hendersonville, organized in 1960, meets monthly except for January and February. Its purposes include advancing interest in gardening, to aid in the protection of our natural resources, and to encourage civic beauty. Please contact Terry Goodfield at 828-693-6024 to learn more about the Garden Club.

For nearly 30 years, the Henderson County Education Foundation has helped enrich educational programs and initiatives that promote and recognize excellence, encourage innovation and help meet the educational needs of Henderson County’s public schools. Thanks to the generosity of Education Foundation donors, over $300,000 was contributed to grant and scholarship programs in 2015. Founded in 1986, the Education Foundation is the only local organization dedicated to building private and corporate financial support for excellence in the Henderson County public schools.

Learn more about Henderson County Education Foundation of at www.hcefnc.org, at the Foundation’s Facebook and LinkedIn pages, and by calling (828) 697-5551.