Annual Meeting
The annual meeting is used to formally elect new officers/board members chosen by a nominating committee and approved by the board at large. It is also a time to look back over the year, sum up what was achieved and where Columbia Green is heading.
The 2008 Annual Meeting of Columbia Green was held November 20th at The Big Apple. Attendees heard a summary of the year's activities with $37,000 given to projects throughout Columbia, excitement was shared about the revamping of the Columbia Green website and internet capabilities, the annual Festival of Gardens in May was successful with the first effort at online ticket sales and an educational event on Rain Gardens was held in September.
New officers voted for 2009 were:
President - Susan Hamilton
Vice President - Ken Walden
Recording Secretary - Ann Holtschlag
Corresponding Secretary - Kappy Hubbard
Treasurer - Ardis Savory
The slate of officers was elected by voice vote of all members present.
New Board members being added in 2009 are:
John McCabe
Anne Sinclair
Jim Morris
Judy Battiste
Virginia Bradford
Tom Knowles
Bonnie Ball
The membership approved the nominees who will begin Board duties in January. Outgoing Board members Chris Freeman, Belinda Gergel, Bevie Kinder, Meg McLean, Willson Powell, Beth West and Tiaa Rutherford were thanked for their significant contributions to the organization.
The 2008 Neighborhood Grants were announced. A record number of 25 proposals were received this year and $12,000 in grant money was awarded.
Winners included:
Hand Middle School in Richland One District
St. Peter's Church in downtown Columbia
The SC Dept. of Juvenile Justice facility on Broad River Road
The Center for Inquiry in Richland Two District
Neighborhood Associations in Spring Valley, University Hills, Forest Hills, and the Bradley Community Council
Educational Talk for the evening:
Julianne Sojourner gave a fabulous talk about Table Top gardening.
Julianne likes to use a combination of materials in her decorating and
arrangements. Her floral design business, "My Friend's Garden," derives
its name from her habit of selecting plant material from along
roadsides and from the backyards of friends.
She jokes that, when customers ask where those flower arrangements come
from, they can truthfully answer that they got them from "my friend's
garden."
She is a South Carolina native. He began flower arranging while at her
mother's knee, and as an adult, she used her talents to decorate while
volunteering with the Junior League, EdVenture and at Church.
Currently, she also stays busy with the Columbia Garden Club and the
Nickelodeon.
Her talk was given to a standing-room only crowd at The Big Apple. The
event was catered by Northern Exposure and included an open bar.