Driftwood Garden Club gearing up for plant sale

BY MELISSA STACEY

The following is an interview with Ginny von Rueden, president of the Driftwood Garden Club conducted by Discover Marblehead. To learn more about the club and their activities, go to driftwoodgardenclub.org.

Tell us about the Driftwood Garden Club and how the organization got started. The Driftwood Garden Club was founded in 1952 as a volunteer, non-profit organization by a group of women in Marblehead who were looking to offer a social service making and delivering floral arrangements to hospitals and dwellers of tenement buildings in Boston. Throughout the ensuing years, the club engaged in many different civic beautification projects including sprucing up town properties for the bicentennial in 1976.

What are some of the gardening projects you work on in Marblehead? In 1990, Abbot Public Library did a building renovation and club members saw an opportunity to create beautiful gardens in what had been a construction debris dump site, so the library grounds became our main civic project. Within the brick walls, the Secret Garden came to life offering a space for quiet retreat and a safe haven for children. Max’s Garden and an aquarium garden followed a few years later bringing much enjoyment to children and their families visiting the library. In 2018, the Old Marblehead Improvement Association presented the club with an award for “Outstanding Non-Profit Organization” in Marblehead. For over 30 years, the club has continued to renovate, plant and maintain all the outdoor landscaped areas of the library property using funds we raise at our annual plant sale in May. While the library is closed during the current renovation project, the club is providing landscaping and garden maintenance help at Farrell Court for the elderly and disabled residents who live there. We also recently planted hundreds of daffodils at Memorial Park.

What are some of the programs and events the club works on throughout the year? Are there any events coming up soon we should know about? During the months we cannot work outside, the club offers a wide variety of educational programs presented by garden experts. We also join with the other garden clubs in town to decorate the King Hooper Mansion of the Marblehead Arts come to us at pivotal moments in their lives for weddings, funerals or crises,” said the Rev. Lindsay Popperson, associate minister of the Old North Church. and service to the town for centuries. The church was originally organized by a group of fishermen and mariners to alleviate the burden of traveling to Salem. The current building, located on Washington Street, was constructed in 1825 and has since become a focal point for various town activities.

“We see ourselves as being here to serve the whole of the community, and that very often people who don’t have another church or faith community will

She added, “We really pride ourselves on being that church, and I see the steeple as symbolizing that presence in the community.”

The amount raised, Sands said, underscores the congregation’s commitment. Betsey Halbert, the Old North Church moderator, said the urgent need for the restoration is due to the tower’s cupola and steeple being severely damaged in a microburst that occurred three years ago.

Association for the holidays in December. In the summer months, some of our members make floral arrangements for the Marblehead Museum’s Lee Mansion. Before our plant sale on May 13 at the Masonic Hall (8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.), club members will join in “Dig and Divide,” when we take plants from gardens all over town to offer them to the public.

What are the benefits of being a member of Driftwood Garden Club? And how does onebecome a member? We have a wonderful website people can visit at driftwoodgardenclub. org that lists all our programs and fun events as well as information about becoming a member. Member benefits include making many new

The cost of these repairs alone is expected to be close to $400,000, with the remaining funds needed for other necessary maintenance and repair projects.

“One of the things we’re telling people is no gift is too small, right?” said Halbert. “People write to us all the time, ‘I can only give you $10, $20, $200,’ but those donations mean as much to us as a person who gave us $50,000.”

In fact, Halbert and Sands were over the moon about a $50,000 pledge that they had received following Sunday’s service. The project has, in some ways, been in the works for the friends while working together to provide beautification of our town properties. Our popular social events include the annual cocktail party with spouses and partners, special workshops to learn flower arranging and DIY projects, and participating in travel opportunities to visit gardens elsewhere. For our 65th and 70th birthdays, the club celebrated with two trips to England to experience stunning gardens and the world-famous Chelsea Flower Show.

As the current President, why is the Driftwood Garden Club so important to you? As historian and current president, I have thoroughly enjoyed my many years in the Driftwood Garden Club. I have learned so much about gardening and past five to six years.

“In 2018, we had an engineering firm do a study of all of our buildings and grounds in order to prepare ourselves for the future,” said Sands. “We asked ourselves, ‘What do these lovely old buildings in the heart of the historic district need to keep them going?’”

Sands added, “They divided it up into three five-year segments, so the first segment is what we are planning to be doing next summer.” environmental issues and made lifelong friends with a love for making the world more beautiful. What better way to enjoy life than getting our hands dirty in the garden, having fun learning about the natural world, and socializing with old and new friends while offering service to our beloved community of Marblehead?

To learn more about the capital campaign or to make a donation, visit https://bit. ly/41f9Mkj.

The business spotlight is a weekly feature published in partnership with Discover Marblehead. Discover Marblehead is dedicated to the promotion of our majestic seaside town of Marblehead. Its mission is to highlight local businesses, tourism, community events and attractions through social media, email marketing and community outreach. To learn more, visit discovermhd.com.`` and her family launched #Move4Heather, a campaign to raise awareness and funds for glioblastoma research at Dana-Farber. They raised nearly $650,000.

Walker met President Joe Biden when he came to Boston last year to speak about his

Moonshot Initiative to reduce cancer deaths. Biden’s son also died of glioblastoma.

At the memorial, Walker’s brother-in-law read aloud an email the family received from President Biden the night before.

“Jill and I would like to offer our condolences,” Biden wrote.

“She reminded me of my son, Beau. She made it her mission to take care of everyone.”

‘Hard love’

Several other people spoke at the memorial, which ended with Walker’s husband, Stephen, and his two daughters at the podium.

“From the day I met Heather on the roof of the Colonnade Hotel at a Mix 98.5 pool party, I knew I was in for a ride,” he said, prompting more warm laughter from the crowd. “I was all in.”

Through tears, Stephen Walker described how his wife believed in “hard love,” caring for people fiercely and loyally.

Then, he addressed his two daughters at his side.

“I want you to know that she loved you so much. I know that her spirit will be with us forever because she is in you,” he said.

Finally, Stephen Walker addressed his wife. “I’ll cherish you forever. I’ll protect our girls with your hard love.”

As the memorial ended, the cloudy, gray skies cleared, making the way for sunlight.

Donations in Heather Walker’s memory can be made to M4H: danafarber.jimmyfund.org/ goto/move4heather or to the education fund for Walker’s daughters Sammy and Taylor at go.fidelity.com/0bf9dq.