Continuing Projects

Anti-Litter Contest
In conjunction with Bayou Vermilion Preservation Association, the LGC sponsors an Anti-Litter Poster Contest among local parish school children. The primary goal of this project is to encourage youth to be aware of the damage that is caused by littering. The club furnishes monetary awards to first, second, and third place winners in three divisions: Elementary, Middle, and High Schools. First place winners are awarded $50.00, second place winners receive $30.00, and third place winners receive $20.00.
Chair – Diana Nolan

Arbor Day
All members will be invited to participate in a public tree planting ceremony on the third Friday in January in conjunction with the City of Lafayette. The City of Lafayette selects the location for the tree planting and maintains the tree.
Chair – Gretchen Stewart

Azalea Trail
A springtime attraction since the 1930’s, the Lafayette Azalea Trail is a winding drive through historic districts, downtown, the university and oil center, and neighborhood garden districts. Members will clean and mulch the azaleas at the Lafayette Visitor Center and plant more azaleas in the parking lot round bed. The garden club will also promote the Historic Trail and Trolley Rides via their Facebook and Website. The Azalea Trail and Lafayette Garden Club recently received a $1500 grant from the Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission to help promote the Azalea Trail and the LGC.
Chair – Denise Lanclos
 
Civic Development and Cleanest City
Members partner with city officials and news media in the Cleanest City Contest, sponsored by the Louisiana Garden Club Federation. The aim of the contest is to instill civic pride in the individual citizens and thus, improve the appearance of towns and cities.
Chair – Diana Nolan

Civic Pride Award and Garden of the Month Award
Each month members of this committee will select from our community a residential garden for outstanding and unique landscaping design and a business or public facility that has made concerted efforts to beautify its grounds and overall appearance with landscaping. Public signs will increase community awareness of having pride in our community.
Chair – Cinde Risinger-Johnson, Co-Chair – Carol Noel

Cleanest Schools Contest
This project is a contest among parish public schools using a set criterion for judging the cleanliness of schools. Winning schools will receive a monetary award of $200.00 provided by BVPA to be used for campus beautification.
Chair – Sarah Schoeffler

Flower Show
All members will participate in a spring flower show in one or more areas of design, horticulture, education and community relations.
The NGC Small Standard Flower Show will be held in conjunction with Festival des Fleurs de Louisiane at Blackham Coliseum.
Chairs – Roxanna Champagne, Cecile Revels, Betty Foret
Honorary Chair – Linda Beyt

Habitat for Humanity
Club members will donate or secure landscape plants for new houses built by Habitat. Members will assist in planting.
Chair – JoAnn Pugh

Horticultural Therapy
Members of Lafayette Garden Club will plant flowers with residents of local senior citizens’ facilities.
The three facilities are The Blake and Brookdale in Lafayette, LA and Avanti in Youngsville, LA.
Chairs – Madeline Ledet, Amie Clark

Live Oak Tree Registration
All club members will be invited to identify and work with owners of live oak trees eligible for registration in the Live Oak Society. Partnerships with other groups, publicity materials and handouts will support members’ efforts and promote community awareness of the value of live oaks and LGCF goals of tree preservation.
Chair – Gretchen Stewart

Sale of Vision of Beauty Calendars
Calendars showing aesthetic use of plant material will be ordered for sale and distribution by members for themselves and members of the community.
Chair – JoAnn Pugh

Youth Horticulture Education
Club members partner with students and teachers in local classrooms (L. Leo Judice Environmental School, Ernest Gallet Elementary, Acadiana Renaissance Academy) to create and maintain pollinator gardens. Students will learn the importance of pollinators to the ecosystem and observe biodiversity firsthand. LGC received a National Garden Club Grant for $250 from Espoma for soil. We also received grant money from the Lafayette Visitor Enterprise Fund to purchase LGC signs to be put in each of the school’s pollinator beds.
Chair – Sarah Schoeffler, Linda Beyt