featuring a photo of Don and Bev Sudbury planting seeds, she thought, “This is it.” Whereas most of today’s volunteers step right into on-the-job training, Janice and her cohorts Beverly and Don Sudbury, Craig and Sue Pyper, and Mary Jo Reiter attended volunteer training for one full year before really getting out in the Garden. “I had to know the names of all the weeds before I was even allowed to pull them out of the ground,” recalls Janice. After a year of training, however, she entered the Garden feeling like she already knew it, and she spent the last 25 years getting to know it better and better.
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VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT
By Meghan Eames, Volunteer Coordinator
It doesn’t take more than five minutes in the Red Butte Garden Greenhouse with volunteer Janice Tolhurst to understand that she loves what she does. “I love seeds,” she says, meticulously spacing and placing seeds, pausing to scribble notes in the greenhouse planting log, “I’ve always loved seeds.” She takes me on a spontaneous little tour as she completes her work, and it’s clear that the greenhouse feels a bit like home to Janice, which should come as no surprise, as Red Butte Garden has been her home away from home for the last 25 years. Of course, the greenhouse has changed since she started. Janice recalls the early days, “There were plants everywhere: all over the floor, hanging from the ceiling...Just everywhere.” The Garden as a whole has also dramatically changed, “There are more buildings. There are gardens that didn’t exist before, and some gardens that did exist are gone.” Being a volunteer has changed too. Janice always wanted to garden, and after spotting a newspaper article about the Garden
Janice plays an important role in the growth of the Garden. As Red Butte Garden’s volunteer dedicated to seed planting, Janice has sown the seeds of many of the plants that guests see in the Garden today or take home to put in their own gardens from the annual plant sales. She finds the entire process of the plants going from seed to garden fascinating and immensely fulfilling, and she is proud to play her role in it. “Putting seeds in the earth and getting them to grow–that’s so exciting for me. It just feels good.” That good feeling is only part of what has kept Janice at the Garden for 25 years. When I asked why she stays, she candidly said, “Because it’s good for my soul. I do it because I love it. Because I learn. Because I love the people I work with.” It also doesn’t hurt that she feels like “walking into the greenhouse is like walking into paradise.” Janice has certainly earned her share of that paradise. Michelle Cook, Janice’s supervisor, is constantly impressed with Janice. “Her dedication is phenomenal; she is always giving her best and wants each individual plant to thrive.” Michelle adds, “There is no way we could do what we do without her.” Though Janice can humbly appreciate the praise, she comments with a laugh, “I’m glad that you get something out of it, because I do it for me.” Interested in sharing or cultivating your passion with the Garden? Please contact Meghan Eames at volunteers@redbuttegarden.org, or 801.585.5688.
SPY HOP PRESENTS:
Hear the next generation of musical & radio artists from Spy Hop’s Loud & Clear Audio programs Thursday, JulyGARDEN 18 | Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre | 7:00 - 9:00 PM RED BUTTE
ADMFREE ISSI ON
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