Mt. Vernon Garden Club Welcomes Debbie Evans
After club president Susan Beard opened the April 14 meeting of the Mt Vernon Garden Club, members soon learned that the April birth flowers are the daisy and the sweet pea. The daisy stands for innocence and purity, while the sweet pea symbolizes pleasure and gratitude. Vice President Kathy McCall recognized one member's April birthday. She along with Kirstin Brown were the hostesses for the month. Gail Mc-Daniel gave a very meaningful devotional before a buffet meal was served and, as always, it was delicious. The club is so thankful to Brewton Parker Christian University for allowing the members to meet in the Garden Room located in the Student Center.
Following the meal, guest speaker Debbie Evans was introduced. Debbie is with the Greater Vidalia Chamber of Commerce. She gave an overview of the Chamber's mission, which is to develop and promote businesses in the community for economic growth in the Greater Vidalia area. Debbie did mention the Adult Leadership Class, along with the Youth Leadership Class, in which 4 or 5 members of that recent class were from Montgomery County, stating that there are wonderful things going on in Montgomery County. Also, a boot camp is going to be held in June at the Greater Vidalia Center for Rural Entrepreneurship. It is a one-day intensive workshop designed to assist those who want to bring their ideas to something bigger. The chamber is here for businesses and to help people who want to start a business. So thankful to Debbie for taking the time to share with the club members the various programs available through the chamber. For more information about the programs available through the chamber, they are on Facebook.
A business meeting followed the special program. Some of the items discussed were the damage done to the community house in Mt. Vernon and the city is looking at a USDA grant to redo the community house and keep with the rustic theme. Scholarship applications are still being accepted with a deadline of April 27. The Mt Vernon Christmas Parade will be on Saturday, December 12, and the garden club will have its own booth.
It was brought to the club members attention several months ago that BPCU has a pantry, where individuals can bring personal hygiene items and/or food for students who have no means to pay. Members of the club donated items and brought them to the April meeting. Many of the students are from foreign countries and have no way to get these items without the help of donations.
The meeting ended with a discussion of April 24 being Arbor Day and a suggestion was made to plant a tree in recognition, sometime in late fall or early winter. There was also a suggestion that members agree to clean up around their neighborhood, calling it Operation Helene. This year, as in the past few years, garden club members will be volunteering at the Vidalia Onion Festival Arts & Crafts – working the ticket booths at the front and back gates. There will be no official meeting in May. We will go out to lunch and take a tour.
LEARNING ABOUT THE CHAMBER – The Mt. Vernon Garden Club recently learned about the operations of the Greater Vidalia Chamber, as Chamber Vice President Debbie Evans spoke to the group. L to R: Kathy McCall, Debbie Evans, Kirstin Brown.
