
From Brenda Harp, Three Rivers Garden Club President, 2009-2010
Three Rivers Garden Club is off to an exciting beginning for the 2009-10 year. Members have been working all summer to ensure a successful year: Diane Harbin and her committee have done an amazing job starting up the

“Cultivating Young Minds” project for Rome Federated Garden Clubs; John Barnett has worked tirelessly on the yearbook; members have gone to the Laurel District Executive meeting and to the awards workshop; and the website 3riversgardenclub.com is now online. The enthusiasm and willingness of members to use their various talents is contagious.
Three Rivers Garden Club was founded in November of 1949, making the organization 60 years old this year. We intend to celebrate by having a birthday party at our December meeting and by emphasizing our longevity as we continue our worthwhile projects.
As president, the theme I have chosen for the next two years is “Enhancing our Environment.” All our projects and programs will encourage us to make our environment better for ourselves, our neighbors, our community, and others. Whether we are gardening, arranging flowers, recycling, fighting litter, keeping our Visitors’ Center attractive, helping at Northwest Regional Hospital, or working with youth, we are contributing to this theme.
Mary Louise Dixon has planned a variety of programs for the coming year. The club members have reviewed how to enter horticulture in the fair. In October John Schultz will bring the club up to date on the progress of the Boys/Girls Club Project. Future programs will teach us about underwater designs, conifers, ferns, fauna and flora of the Galapagos Islands, and advice on what to plant in our gardens next spring. Three Rivers, along with the national, state, district, and local federation, offers many opportunities for education and growth.
We welcome our new members for this year—Martha Joy Herndon, Sue Alford, Becky Gurley, and Christine Fisher—and we hope to continue our growth in membership.