Laguna Beach Garden Club awards three Laguna Beach students scholarships
On Friday, June 2, the Laguna Beach Garden Club (LBGC) was honored to award scholarships of $3,000 each to three graduating seniors of Laguna Beach High School, who will pursue careers in environmental sciences. The three deserving students are Quinn Butler, Molly Starr and Sylvie Henry.
These scholarships are made possible through their major fundraiser, the Gate & Garden Tour, held on the first Saturday in May, and in combination with generous donations from their sponsors, other donors and members.
The LBGC receives scholarship applications through the Laguna Beach High School Scholarship Foundation from various students who are pursuing a degree in environmental sciences, sustainability careers such as sustainable landscape and agriculture, and other horticultural pursuits.
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Photo by Mary Hurlbut
(L-R) Molly Starr, Lynn Jax, Jane Leary, Sylvie Henry and Quinn Butler
The board of directors of the club review all the applicants to determine the best fit for the club’s criteria of merit and based on allocated funds, determines the number of scholarships and the amounts given. The board members have all voiced that the board meeting where these decisions are made is among their favorite tasks. “The tour is a labor of love for the club and to be able to award scholarships to deserving students is a joy for all of us,” said Club President Jane Leary.
The LBGC was established in 1928 and has become an iconic part of Laguna Beach throughout the years as both an incredible resource of horticulture information via their speaker series as well as for their world-class Gate & Garden Tour. The Gate & Garden Tour, which started 18 years ago, has sold out each year since 2018 and is now part of the fabric of Laguna Beach life.
The club is known for saying “we are not your granny’s garden club,” because they are so much more than an ordinary garden club. They are a very hard-working service organization that has started and helped to fund school gardens at three of Laguna Beach schools as well as the Boys & Girls Club and Glennwood House, in addition to many community projects. The board of directors is a group of incredibly talented individuals from professions that range from retired CFOs and CEOs, doctors, medical executives, accountants, teachers, nurses and everything in between. Members range in age from 35-95 and ageism is not a word heard in the club.
The LBGC takes the summer off beginning in June and returns to holding general meetings on the second Friday of the month starting on September 8 at 9:30 a.m. at Laguna Presbyterian Church in Tankersley Hall.
To become a member or for more information, visit www.lagunabeachgardenclub.org.