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A Time to Know, Sow and Grow
INSTALLATION SPEECH, April
15, 2011, Incoming FFGC President, Jan Sillik
FFGC is a creative and dynamic organization, and we build on the
foundation of prior administrations. With each new administration comes
fresh enthusiasm and new ideas for the future of our organization. As
my THEME, I have chosen, “A TIME
TO KNOW, SOW AND GROW”. These are action words…command
words…imperatives. I believe we stand at a crossroads. We need to place
a renewed focus on Membership Recruitment and Retainment, and we have
valuable and effective tools in our tool box. Through our educational
opportunities (KNOW); youth
programs and activities (SOW);
and
membership
outreach (GROW),
we will move forward toward our goals.
THE TIME IS NOW, to focus on membership goals. We need more
men…after-six groups…Saturday groups…lunchtime business groups…groups
in subdivisions and gated communities…church groups. We will have
“MEMBERSHIP MENTORS” in each district to assist and motivate with
membership objectives. Membership MUST be at the forefront of our
thinking as we move forward to face the challenges of the 21st century.
We must think in NEW WAYS, REACH OUT to a younger generation. We need
to TAP INTO OUR COMMON INTERESTS and PASSIONS. We need to reach out in
innovative and creative ways to recruit new members. And then we must
RETAIN them through what we offer as a multifaceted and exceptional
organization. One that is FRIENDLY, WARM and WELCOMING. And not least,
FUN!!
More than ever, the Garden Club has RELEVANCE. As we say, “Go Green,
Join a Garden Club”….well, we were GREEN before being green was “cool”.
The issues that are at the forefront of society today…conservation,
sustainability, native plantings, clean water, endangered species,
renewable energy, training our youth to be tomorrow’s environmental
leaders….these have been our bedrock issues and our focus for years.
The world has caught up with us…we’ve been there all along.
We must move into using the ELECTRONIC TOOLS of the new DIGITAL AGE. As
we continue to hold dear our traditions and rich heritage as a
foundation to build upon, we must reach forward into the future so that
FFGC remains a VITAL, LIVING and GROWING ENTITY!! We must SOW SEEDS FOR
THE FUTURE through our YOUTH PROGRAMS and ACTIVITIES. Through our
Wekiva Youth Camp, SEEK and Youth Gardening programs, we touch young
lives. We are changing lives as we introduce our youngsters to the
world of Garden Club, and all that we represent. Through our awarding
of Scholarships, we are providing financial assistance to worthy young
men and women as they pursue their dreams. We are instrumental in
creating tomorrow’s leaders in environmental law, forestry, organic
gardening, agriculture, landscaping, urban planning and a whole host of
related careers.
We’re faced with a generation that’s growing up looking at SCREENS
instead of STREAMS. We CAN make a difference through our commitment to
introducing our youth to NATURE. There’s a disconnect today with how we
experience nature. The world of electronic media has changed our world
beyond anything we could have imagined twenty years ago. We want to
keep that precious connectedness to the natural world, for adults as
for our youth. IT”S ABOUT TIME...TO ACT, TO PROTECT OUR NATURAL WORLD.
TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE, with a sense of urgency. IF NOT NOW…..WHEN?
We can make a difference…and WE MUST!! To be effective, WE MUST KNOW…
know more about our organization; what we stand for; what we do; how we
do it. We must emphasize LIFELONG LEARNING through our NGC Schools and
our FFGC programs, Seminars and Classes…these are great recruitment
tools. We Garden Clubbers are insatiably curious, and WE LOVE TO LEARN.
As we reach out, Let’s Stress Education!! Let’s develop
long-term strategies through our emphasis on KNOWLEDGE. I’ve directed
the new District Directors to host “LUNCH AND LEARN” Workshops in their
areas during the next two years. We will be updating the FFGC Manual,
with essential information about FFGC. We will continue with Fun With
Flowers, the Floral Design Study series, and the “Diggin! It!” program.
A new program will be introduced entitled, “Welcome to our House”, with
floral design accents for the home.
We will have two new columns in The Florida Gardener, and on our
Website. “FFGC LISTENS” will explore the questions you have for us, on
all kinds of topics. And, “TAKE A BYTE” will direct us toward great
websites with information on subjects of interest to us. We will
publish a new MANUAL of “Creating Centerpieces”, economically, for
special events, and we plan to include ideas from around the twelve
districts.
THE TIME IS NOW…to create a presence using SOCIAL MEDIA. To think about
how we can best USE TECHNOLOGY TO ENHANCE THE GARDEN CLUB EXPERIENCE.
To EXPLORE the challenges and opportunities facing our organization. To
devise ways to reverse the trend of declining membership. WE CAN’T
CONTINUE NAVIGATING A NEW WORLD WITH OLD MAPS. Please get engaged anew
and take part in determining the future of FFGC. Be INFORMED…BE
INVOLVED…BE INVESTED.
IT’S TIME TO
SOW SEEDS OF
FRIENDSHIP as we reach out to make new friends for F FGC.
FFGC
really
does stand for “Finest Friends God Created” and as we “GROW” our organization and “GROW” our membership, we are
also “GROWING GARDENS OF FRIENDSHIP”. Our common interests draw us
together. The fun we have as we Learn and Grow, is the glue that bind
us into a unified whole. We have a COMMON AGENDA, and, THE TIME IS NOW…… A TIME TO KNOW, SOW
AND GROW!! BEE – lieve it!!!
“LET’S GET GROWING!!”
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