Thursday night at our board meeting, I shared an idea that had stuck with me from a recent training with nonprofit leadership expert Joan Garry.
She suggested that every board meeting should include one story—a real example of impact that board members can carry with them and share at their next dinner party, networking event, or even around the office coffee pot. Stories, she reminded us, are often the best way to explain why our work matters. So, I shared the story I had planned to tell.
And then something wonderful happened.
Around the room, board members began sharing their own stories of the Gardens.
It was completely spontaneous—and completely beautiful.
It was also a powerful reminder that the Gardens are so much more than a place to visit. The Gardens are a collection of stories.
They’re a first date, a wedding photo, a butterfly spotted by an excited child, a quiet walk after a hard day, a friendship formed while pulling weeds, or a memory of someone we loved. They’re celebrations and milestones and ordinary afternoons that somehow become unforgettable.
When you look across all the acreage that makes up the Botanical Gardens, you may just see gardens, trees, and walking paths. But I also see something else: a great big open book filled with thousands of chapters, many of which we’ll never know unless someone shares them.
So, I’d like to ask a favor. I’d love to hear your Garden story.
Tell us about the first time you visited. Tell us about a memory that still makes you smile. Tell us about the person who introduced you to this place, or the reason you keep coming back. Tell us why these Gardens matter to you.
However you’d like to tell your story, we’d love to hear it. Send us an email ([email protected]), share it with us through our Facebook page, stop one of us while we’re working in the garden, give us a call. Whether your story is a few sentences or a cherished memory you’ve carried for years, we’d be honored to add your chapter to the story of the Gardens.
And, if you’re comfortable, perhaps we’ll share some of these stories in future newsletters so that others can see themselves reflected in these pages.
I hope you’ll share a piece of your story. Because while flowers bloom and seasons change, it’s the memories we make here—and the people who make them—that truly bring the Gardens to life.
P.S. If you do reach out, please know that I may be a little slow to respond as I turn the page to a new chapter of my own—I’m getting married later this month!
