Visit more of our projects: Art in Bloom Avis Campbell Gardens Boutique Civic Beautification Crane House Garden Therapy Open Gardens Social Events Triangle Gardens Trips and Outings Youth Projects Triangle Gardens Triangle Gardens are the raised planting beds along Church Street and at the corner of Fullerton Avenue. Members and provisionals plant in the spring and maintain through the summer and fall, turning downtown Montclair into an oasis taken for granted by residents and visitors. The Business Improvement District partners with the club, supplying funds and maintenance assistance during the growing season. ​ Our dedicated group maintained the Triangle Gardens throughout another Covid summer. We had beautiful blooms (including cannas, vincas, spirea and the crowd pleaser giant elephant ears)—all weed and trash free! Even despite the Hamptons House demolition. We look forward to planting the spring tulip bulbs at the end of the month. Hoping some provisional members can join us then. Committee Reports November 8, 2022 Ten Garden Club members, including several enthusiastic provisionals "elected" to meet and quickly plant hundreds of tulip bulbs in the Church Street Planters on Election Day morning. A huge round of applause for Jamie Chase for preparing each planter with the patterned placement of tulip bulbs so that the actual planting was a breeze! Betty Murphy, Co-Chair Summer 2021

Hospitality Committee Reports Committees 2022-2023 — Michele Quinn, Chair; Betty Murphy, Vice Chair The Hospitality Committee was pleased to serve the Judges breakfast prior to our monthly competitions and wonderful teas after the Club's program meetings held at Union Congregational Church. Thank you to our talented and hard-working committee for making all the treats to feast upon! ​ A big thank you to Susan Brady for hosting our annual Holiday Tea at her beautiful home on December 14, 2022. We also thank our Tea/Coffee pourers and Past Presidents: Firth Fabend, Kate Khachaturian, Gretchen Prater, Susan Straten, and Connie Young. Club Members' delectable savories and sweets enhanced the tea table, their exquisite holiday floral designs graced throughout, and boutique vendors enticed us with festive gifts. The event was enjoyed and remembered by all and we look forward to welcoming everyone when programs commence in the fall. 2021-2022 — Janet Oscar, Chair; Gretchen Prater, Vice Chair We thank Gretchen Prater for hosting our annual Holiday Tea at her beautiful home on December 15th. It was so wonderful to see over sixty Members join us to begin the Holiday Season in such a beautiful setting. Thanks to our talented Members who contributed to the tea table, which offered a variety of delicious homemade savories and desserts: Barbara Baletti, Terri Breen, Betsy Burgess, Carol Callahan, Ellen Colton, Peggy Scott Fleming, Kate Khachaturian, Floss O'Sullivan, Patti Sullivan-Perry, Michele Quinn, Cheryl Slutzky, Michele Trevenen, Susan Yu. We also thank our Tea/Coffee pourers: Past Presidents Deborah Hirsch, Kate Khachaturian, Michele Quinn, Susan Straten, Sarah Stransky, and Karen Whitehaus. The Hospitality Committee was so pleased to serve breakfast items to the Judges and Clerks on March 21st, at our first in-person program meeting and Petite Flower Design competition at Union Congregational Church. At our April 25th meeting, our committee served savories and sweets prior to our evening meeting. We thank Karen Whitehaus for her assistance at the Church and we thank Nancy Stroud for assisting our committee. We are forever grateful to our President Florence Leyssène's leadership during the ever-changing conditions and circumstances of our times. We thank our Hospitality Committee Members for their participation in our Hospitality events throughout the year. We look forward to seeing everyone in person when we begin our programs in the fall. 2020-2021 — Janet Oscar, Chair; Gretchen Prater, Vice Chair This has been and exceptionally challenging year for everybody. Since we were not meeting in person, the Hospitality Committee thought it would be nice to remember our members who reside at Crane’s Mill with lovely Thanksgiving Baskets filled with homemade zucchini bread, dessert cart dreams along with nuts, cheese, and crackers. They were so appreciative that the Garden Club members remembered them at this time. Our Committee member, Terri Breen, came up with the clever idea of presenting photos of past Holiday Teas for our December Program on Zoom. Committee member, Floss O’Sullivan, did a fantastic job in presenting the slideshow. We also honored Helen Geyer who was a long time member of the GCM. We made a beautiful Easter Basket with quiche and homemade desserts and delivered it to our longtime member Eileen Butler. She was thrilled that we remembered her at this time, and sent her thanks and appreciation. The Hospitality Committee members were so pleased to finally have a chance to bake for Garden Club members at the Annual Awards Ceremony which was held in the beautiful Avis Campbell Gardens in May. Gretchen Prater, Vice Chair, and I thank our Hospitality Committee bakers Kate Khachaturian, Ginny Demoreuille, Cheryl Slutsky, Patt Sullivan-Perry, and Terri Breen who joined us in making their delicious treats. Terri Breen not only baked but assisted us in filling the sixty goody bags, and also helped with set up and clean up. In celebration of Connie Young’s 100 Birthday we sang 'Happy Birthday' and presented Connie with a birthday cake along with a beautiful floral arrangement from the Avis Campbell Gardens designed by Michele Tomasik. We thank all who participated in our Hospitality events throughout the year. We look forward to seeing everyone in person when we begin our Programs in the fall. 2019-2020 — Maureen Donahoe, Chair This was the first year we were working at Van Vleck and we started off with a bang! A fabulous homemade soup and pasta salad offering from Floss O'Sullivan, the Hospitality Captain for September, was complemented by loads of sweets and savories contributed by the Membership as we were introduced to what life would be like for us in our new home. ​ In the following months the Captains continued our beloved tradition of providing lunches for our Judges, Clerks, and Program presenters, followed by tea, coffee, sweets and savories for our members and guests following the Monthly Program. We also had our first ever evening event after which we offered tea, coffee, sweets and savories to all the attendees. Once again, we were fortunate to have Sam help us in the kitchen during the Program teas. Our Captains did an amazing job and outdid themselves with fantastic meals until our get-togethers were shut down by Covid-19 in March. ​ Our annual Holiday Tea was held in the beautiful Victorian home of Bob Chapman and Florence Sinofsky. There were fabulous holiday floral arrangements throughout the house which were contributed by several of our members. It was a lovely event and everyone who attended enjoyed socializing, the delicious treats, and the opportunity to shop with holiday vendors. Thank you to Charlene Connolly for sending out the invitations, Susan Benner for arranging for fabulous vendors, and Elizabeth Linder for helping out in the kitchen. ​ The Hospitality Committee is grateful for the cooperative effort of our members who take on the task of being a Hospitality Captain and ensuring a wonderful lunch is presented to our guests. Thanks, as well, go out to the members who contribute sweets and savories for our monthly teas. Hopefully, we will be able to resume getting together in person in the near future when we will all be taken care of by our new Hospitality Chair, Janet Oscar.

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Horticulture Committee Reports Committees 2022-2023 — Michele Trevenen, Chair; Karen Whitehaus, Vice Chair Teamwork is the operative word to describe the Horticulture Committee. We were fortunate to have a team of seasoned Club Members serving on the Horticulture Committee this season. They filled dual roles needed to offer impactful Horticulture competitions for the Club this season. ​ We kicked off the year as Celia Radek organized the Horticulture 101 workshop in Avis Campbell Gardens led by Heidi Muschick. We counted on Susan Dumont, Deb Hirsch, and Denise Silverman to be available to assist in setting up the competitions (sometimes even on Sundays) and then help dismantle the display post competition. The committee introduced Botanical Arts Horticulture and Photography to our membership this year. Florence Leyssène and Debbie Moran provided an endless source of expertise to BA, which offered another outlet for our membership to get their creative juices flowing. ​ Our committee Vice Chair, Karen Whitehaus, provided endless hours of support to the Horticulture Committee. Her organizational and problem-solving skills kept the committee on track for every competition. The 2022-2023 Horticulture Committee was the "Dream Team" this year. Thanks to all of you. 2021-2022 — Debbie Moran, Chair The COVID-19 pandemic continued to affect most of the Horticulture Committee's monthly activities through the end of 2021. In early September the workshop on how to exhibit horticulture was held at Avis Campbell Gardens and was well attended, even if in the subsequent months almost no Members exhibited horticulture virtually. In late September, the Estelle Liebrecht succulent propagation project, (launched in May of 2020), was judged. Four entries managed to hang in for the long COVID-19 haul and the award was won by Denise Silverman. The membership was able to enter horticulture specimens in person at the last two meetings of this spring, in March and April at Union Congregational Church, but participation was thin. The next Estelle Liebrecht Club Project is the Caladium 'Miss Muffet', a small but handsome variety that was chosen because it will be grown in a container so that it can be judged at Arts & Flowers , A Design Specialty Flower Show in September 2022. Twenty-five tubers were purchased and distributed to interested Members in late May and early June, with basic instructions on planting and care, given there is so much in-depth information available on the internet for anyone interested. Once again, the pandemic sidelined committee Members this year, but with luck the upcoming year will be a more familiar one for Horticulture activities in the Club. 2020-2021 — Debbie Moran, Chair The COVID-19 pandemic completely upended all plans for any in-person activities/competitions sponsored by the Horticulture Committee. With so much uncertainty in the spring of 2020, I decided to front load horticulture projects which members could experience at home over the 2020 COVID-19 summer. I chose a long-range project, propagating two succulent leaves, for the Estelle Liebrecht Award that could be flexible regarding when it could be judged safely in person. Two other informal “2020 COVID Challenges” included growing three Hosta ‘Golden Tiara’ plantlets in a container, and priming Aquilegia canadensis (columbine) seeds to sprout in the summer rather than the next spring. All three projects were well received and the hope is that the succulent and hosta projects will be judged in September 2021. ​ The monthly competitions for both horticulture and design became virtual exhibitions that were critiqued, not judged. For Horticulture, each month only one specimen per member was permitted to be exhibited via digital photographs submitted; there were several members who exhibited their specimens over the course of the year. As with many committees over this past year, the Committee was sidelined with zero action. I am looking forward to the coming year in the hope that the Committee will be able to better engage after in-person meetings resume for the Club. 2019-2020 — Jacklyn King, Chair The Horticulture year started off well at our new temporary home, Van Vleck House & Gardens. A huge thank you to Deb Hirsch, Florence Leyssène, Floss O'Sullivan, and Denise Silverman for bringing our supplies from the storage rooms and setting up our staging area outside. Denise Silverman won the Amy Hatrak Herb Award and the President's Horticulture Award! Although there were roses entered for the Barbara Meyer Rose Award, the judges found them unworthy. There were no other Awards this Horticulture Year due to Covid 19 "raining on our parade." This is my last year as Horticulture Chair. It's been so great getting to know you. I started this position knowing very little about horticulture and even less about chairing a committee. I'm so grateful to you all for your patience and your knowledge. I am certain that in Debbie Moran's capable and creative hands the Horticulture Committee will rise to new heights. Many women have helped me along the way, patiently answered questions, refreshed my memory when the name of a plant wouldn't come to me (more often than I would like to admit). So, thank you to Fran Ackerly, Cynthia Corhan-Aitken, and Celia Radek. Also, thank you to Susan Dumont and Michele Trevenen for their ongoing support and assistance. A very special thank you to Floss O'Sullivan for always "being there" for me and for introducing me to those sweet pecans. As memorialized in "Finian's Rainbow", it's been "something sweetish, something grandish ... terrifish ... magnifish ... delish ... that life could be so 'flowers' in bloomish".

2022-2023 — Kate Khachaturian, Chair The Garden Club of Montclair was pleased to consistently meet in person again throughout 2022-2023. Our Club continued to hold Program meetings at Union Congregational Church in Upper Montclair. The members seemed pleased with its adequate space for Floral Design, Horticulture entries, our new Botanical Arts category, and our usual tea and refreshments. ​ Board meetings were held in the Garden View Room on the first floor at 60 S. Fullerton Ave. in Montclair. We continue to use the Garden Club Room in the basement for Workshops and if weather permits, Avis Campbell Gardens. Clarence Booker now maintains our space and cleans when necessary. Facilities Committee Reports Committees 2021-2022 — Kate Khachaturian, Chair In 2021-22, The Garden Club of Montclair continued to hold both Board meetings and Program meetings via zoom due to COVID-19. In early 2022, we began holding workshops at 60 South Fullerton in the Garden Club room. In the spring of 2022, we held two program meetings at Union Congregational Church. The annual awards luncheon was held in Avis Campbell Gardens. For the upcoming year of 2022-23, our meeting place will likely be determined by the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our Club continues to thrive despite these difficult conditions. 2020-2021 — Kate Khachaturian, Chair In the year 2020–21 the COVID pandemic continued to rage. Consequently, all Garden Cub meetings were held via Zoom. We were fortunate on May 26 to hold our Annual Awards Meeting in the Avis Campbell Gardens. Due to on-site construction of the United Way building, we will continue in the to hold our meetings via Zoom. We hope to resume our meetings in the Garden Club room in 2022. 2019-2020 — Kate Khachaturian, Chair To say this year has been unusual and challenging would be an understatement. We began the year holding our meetings at Van Vleck House and Gardens due to the fact that the United Way Building was anticipating major renovations. We are very grateful to Van Vleck for its gracious hospitality. ​ In the beginning of 2020,Covid-19 decided to pay a visit to the US and in March required a mandated lockdown. For the rest of the spring all events and Programs were canceled. Board meetings were conducted via Zoom. Thank goodness for technology! ​ Because Workshops were still being conducted in the fall of 2019, the Facilities Committee did maintain the Garden Club room. ​ I wish to thank my Facilities Committee members, Susan Straten and Janice Benton, and the Club Membership for their patience during this difficult time.

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Boutique Items Select the item you want from the list, below, and press submit to send us your request. If you want more than one of each item, make a note in the comment field. Susan Benner will get in touch with you to arrange for payment and delivery. Full Name Phone Email Starter Kit for Provisionals GARDENING Insulated Gloves Small Insulated Gloves Medium MUD Long Gloves Cloth or Plastic Gloves Kid sized MUD Gloves TRake Serrated Trowel Spade ARS Folding Pruning Saw Hand Rake Rainbow Knee Pads Ground Stakes Markers Moisture Meter Rose Stem Cleaners Compost Tea Bags DESIGN Oasis New stuff Floral Snippers Bypass Pruners Dramm Compact Shears Snapper Wire Cutter Pruner Sharpener Floral Green Wire (S/M) Gold/Silver/Copper Wire Red/Blue/Silver Thick Wire Green Wire Sticks Green and Cear Tape Pins Wooden Sticks UNIQUE GIFTS GCM Face Mask Jellyfish Air Plant Mega Cap GCM Cap Flower Press GCM Apron Wreath Mesh GCM Ornament Comments Send Your Request Susan will get back to you as soon as she can with details on payment and delivery.

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2022 Arts & Flowers A Design Specialty Flower Show Barbara Baletti & Cynthia Corhan-Ait ken, Co-Chairs See photos of all the winners. The Garden Club of Montclair staged Arts & Flowers : A Design Specialty Flower Show , at the beautiful Van Vleck House & Gardens September 16-18, 2022. ​ The show adhered to all the specifications of the National Garden Club. The Flower Design, Botanical Arts, and Education divisions were judged by five panels of Accredited Flower Show Judges and the Photography Division was judged by three professional photographers. Florence Leyssène was named Honorary Chair. ​ Arts & Flowers included Flower Designs, Botanical Arts, Photography, and Educational Exhibits. As the title suggests, the focus was on the visual and performing arts. Exhibitors were challenged to create floral designs inspired by the music of Broadway, the movements of a symphony, the blues of Jazz, and the popping and multi-rhythms of Hip-Hop. There were interpretations of Monet, Matisse, and Warhol in Petite Flower Designs and Collages. A highlight was the Alvin Ailey Challenge Design where six exhibitors given the same components created their own unique design interpretations. ​ The Photography Division classes, staged in the Education Center of Van Vleck, featured both color and black and white images that illustrated patterns or reflections in nature, as well as an "Avis Campbell Jubilee" class with photo exhibits of the club's beloved gardens in celebration of its 70th anniversary. Three classes of photographs were judged. ​ The two Educational exhibits highlighted the importance of native trees in our environment and showcased the dedicated efforts of the Avis Campbell gardening team captains. Arts & Flowers was free and open to the public. Upwards of 700 people attended during the three-day period at Van Vleck. ​ Club Preparation and Participation Planning for Arts & Flowers was a two-year process. The Schedule for the sh ow was written by Barbara Baletti and Cynthia Corhan-Aitken with the help, guidance, and expertise of Florence Leyssène, whose contributions were invaluable. Seventy-one Members working on 15 separate committees participated in the staging and execution. Brenda Bingham, our Judges Chairperson, sequestered six panels of 15 judges to evaluate the show. ​ Division I Design: "Aesthetic Adventures" — 10 classes and 40 exhibits of American Traditional, Creative, Parallel, Multi-Rhythmic, and Petite Designs. ​ Division II Botanical Arts Design: "Perceptions of Beauty " — 3 classes and 12 exhibits of Collage, Pot-et-Fleur, and Decorated Wreaths. ​ Division II Botanical Arts Photography: "The Art of Seeing" — 3 classes and 45 entries. ​ Division III Education: "The Garden and its Harmony " — 2 exhibits. "Native Trees: A Few Understories" and "'Oh Captain, My Captain': Avis Campbell Bed Captains Share Their Stories." ​ Recognition from the National Garden Club Arts & Flowers earned the National Garden Club's Flower Show Achievement Award, Certificate of Merit for a Standard Flower Show with a score of 98.5 out of a possible 100. Evaluators stated that the show was "spectacular" and "showcased the talent in design". Top Exhibitor Awards included: ​ Award of Design Excellence: Michele Tomasik Tricolor Award: Michele Tomasik Designer's Choice Award: Tova Narrett Petite Award: Celia Radek Botanical Arts Design Award: Cynthia Corhan-Aitken Educational Award: Celia Radek Recognition Award: Sarah J. Olson Recognition from the Garden Club of New Jersey Mrs. Davd L. George Silver Cup: Finest judged Standard Flower Show 22-23 Garden Club RFD Trophy: Finest Standard Flower Show Schedule of 2022 Dorothy M. Schick Trophy: Excellence in staging a Standard Flower Show Myra Brooks Memorial Trophy — Creativity in Flower Arranging: Tova Narrett Patricia Grossi Petite Award Trophy: Celia Radek Mrs. Reginald Wilson Memorial Award: Michele Tomasik ​ Specialty Awards from the Garden Club of Montclair Betty B. Merriam Silver Bowl/Creative Use of Plant Material: Debbie Moran Barbara Slockbower Schaeberle Award: Tova Narrett ​ Many thanks to all the Members of The Garden Club of Montclair whose efforts made the show a great success, the judges who came from far and wide, the Women's Club of Upper Montclair, the Board staff of Van Vleck House & Gardens, and the Montclair Foundation.

Visit more of our projects: Art in Bloom Avis Campbell Gardens Boutique Civic Beautification Crane House Garden Therapy Open Gardens Social Events Triangle Gardens Trips and Outings Youth Projects Garden Therapy Garden Therapy's aim is to aid the physical, mental and emotional health of persons in the community who are facing personal challenges such as physical disability, homelessness, violence, mental illness, old age, and so on. We develop garden-related activities that inspire creativity and personal achievement for the individuals we serve. This is a very flexible committee, so return often to see dates and times for new activities ― such as the annual creation of Thanksgiving decorations for Toni's Kitchen .

Clerking Guidelines GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES Clerks shadow the judges as they view all entries in the monthly competitions. Clerks should plan to arrive for the competition promptly at 9:30am. It is recommended that you arrive at the appointed time to familiarize yourself with the exhibit and location of each class and subdivided classes. Judging begins promptly at 10am; judging is completed by noon. Assist the judges for closer inspection of a horticulture specimen by gently lifting the container. The clerk should not handle the plant material apart from conditioned evergreens exhibited without containers. After the judging is completed in a particular class, the judges will circle 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or Honorable Mention. The clerk then punches a hole through the judges' circle and tears off the bottom portion of the entry card. One clerk records the judges' results on the Awards Tally Sheet (both sides). When finished clerking, a Tally Sheet is given to the Flower Design Chair, the Horticulture Chair, and the Botanical Arts Chair. One clerk affixes the appropriate award seal to the entry card. The Flower Design, Horticulture, and Botanical Arts cards need to be kept separate. One week prior to your scheduled clerking date, you will receive an email reminder. If you cannot fulfill your obligation, it is your responsibility to find your replacement. A list of substitute clerks will be made available on the Club's website. CLERKING TIPS Do stand back discreetly so as not to interrupt the judges' decisions. Don't distract the judges or ask inappropriate questions of the judges. Don't enter into discussion with judges concerning comments and/or decisions of the judges. If you are asked to write the judges' comments, do write precisely what the judges dictate.

2022-2023 — Sue Young, Chair This year we made a good start on our plan to record all our activities on the website. Seventy-five people have signed up to have these stories delivered to their inboxes the moment they are published. So far no one has asked to cancel! We are also using the website to collect dues and fees online, which is a big help to the Finance Chair. Over 100 Club Members have now signed up to use these options! ​ None of this would have been possible without the photos and event accounts contributed by our members. Please everyone, keep them coming! In particular, many thanks to Susan Yu for her glorious pictures. ​ I would also like to thank Floss O'Sullivan for her meticulous documenting of the competition entries, her videos that add so much to our workshops, and her quiet maintenance of the ever-changing calendar. ​ Next year our committee will look at how to publicize our activities, so Montclair gets to know us better — and learn where the Avis Campbell Gardens are located! Email — Fran Wong Weekly email updates to Club Members, known as "e-blasts" are an important part of our Communications strategy. More than 50 email updates a year are delivered to the entire Membership on Wednesday mornings ranging from notifications of upcoming events, calls for volunteers, or Members who have passed. These year-round emails help drive attendance at Programs, Workshops, and Garden Therapy events, and help Members stay connected over the summer. With the website's "In the News" alerts, these weekly e-blasts, and the Potpourri newsletter published eight times a year, this three-tiered strategy helps keep members reminded, engaged, and up to date. ​ If you want something sent to the Membership please submit it as you would like it to appear in a .doc file attachment to fewong@comcast.net. Photos should be sent as a separate JPG file. While PDF files can be sent, they will almost always be delivered as an attachment. The deadline for a given week is Monday at 11:59 pm, but emergencies can be accommodated as appropriate. Communications Committee Reports Committees Email reports are included by year, below. See also Potpourri editions and committee reports . 2021-2022 — Sue Young, Chair Thanks to the dedication of our previous creative Communications Chair, Amy South, and our technologically gifted President, Florence Leyssène, we can report that the Club flourished during COVID-19, thanks to the electronic tools of Zoom, email, the new website, and the extraordinary skills of our photographers: Barbara Baletti, Victoria Herrera, Wendy Stahl, Claire Stepleton, Michele Tomasik, Susan Yu, and many others. Early this year, like Punxsutawney Phil, we emerged cautiously from our lockdown to meet again for multiple events and to record these get-togethers on our new website. This website, which won the GCNJ's Hanover Garden Club Trophy (presented to a member club "for a successful, innovative project of merit that does not apply for an award under any other category") marks a new addition to our communication arsenal. As well as our informative weekly email (thank you Fran Wong!), and our rich and illuminating Potpourri (thank you Terri Breen, Claire Stepleton and Karen Whitehaus!), we have added many new features to our website, including last year's entire Yearbook. Our goal has been to make it easy for all our Members with varying levels of social media experience to: view the site on a phone or a laptop; access a constantly updated calendar; use a searchable directory of all Members, from Active to Provisionals to Emeriti; receive immediate posts about anything and everything in their email inboxes as events happen; browse through two years of committee reports; keep up with changing information about workshops and programs; watch sophisticated how-to videos (thank you Debbie Moran, Florence Leyssène, and Floss O'Sullivan!); enjoy slideshows and galleries of shared events; check out all award winners back to 1987 (soon to stretch to our founding in 1926); and feel comfortable that security has been upgraded to the highest level. Use of the site has been growing throughout the year, and we want all our Members to feel that our electronic forms of communication add to our central tenets of Education, Beautification, and Fellowship. Email — Fran Wong ​Even through the COVID-19 pandemic, The Garden Club of Montclair has worked hard to maintain an active calendar and keep its Members engaged. This necessitates adequate communication in order to be successful. Given the need to be flexible during the ever-changing challenges of maintaining the activities of the Club during the pandemic, weekly emails have become essential to keep the membership informed and up to date. Whenever possible, articles and notices are congregated to avoid encouraging a common habit of ignoring email due to high volume. Attractive stationery is used to bring attention to the content. When we send information, we want Members to read it! Every effort is made to make sure current email addresses are maintained and undelivered email is investigated and resent. Membership cooperation in notifying the Club of changes is always appreciated and is critical to the mission. Unfortunately, some Members have recently experienced delivery failures for unknown reasons. Some have found Club emails in their spam folders, but others have been unable to determine the problem. Members should expect a weekly update email between September 1 and June 1 and check their spam folder if necessary. Problems should be reported to the Club email address: gardenclubofmontclair@yahoo.com. Emails are sent on an as-requested basis during the summer months. Finally, incoming emails to the Club email address were distributed to the appropriate individuals for their action. 2020-2021 — Amy South, Chair Traditionally, Communications reports on current and future Club activities but because of COVID, we were re-directed to design a process to share individual photos for competitions anonymously. We also worked closely with Workshops to help share communications regarding workshops and fabulous videos produced by Floss O’Sullivan, Florence Leyssène, and others. Floss O’Sullivan also created an invaluable step-by-step video tutorial on completing an entry form. I am so impressed by the energy and dedication of those who continued to create magic in Avis Campbell Gardens, the Triangle Gardens, Garden Therapy, Workshops, Programs, Youth, Open Gardens and more! Additionally, thanks to Deborah Hirsch, we were able to grow our Membership during a year of lockdown. Special thanks to the photographers who jumped in and shared photos: Barbara Baletti, Claire Stepleton, Susan Yu, Marilyn Zaret, Michele Tomasik, and others. My successor, Sue Young, helped us work around the frustrating challenge of an “absent webmaster” to post on our website a new dues renewal form with a Paypal link. She is very experienced with website design and her determination and wit will surely benefit the Club. It has been my pleasure to transition Sue and I look forward to staying on the Committee to help with the website rebuild. Recently, at the request of the Ways and Means Committee, we added a 'DONATE' button that will hopefully catch the attention of website visitors — more to come! Thanks to Celia Radek for supplying Yearbook content for the annual website update. Thank you to our President, Florence Leyssène, for her knowledge and leadership during this challenging period. Her knowledge and experience, coupled with a kind heart, have helped make all we do possible. I am thankful for this amazing organization and feel inspired by the talents, energy, and dedication of our members. My heart is exceptionally heavy when I reflect on the many losses and hardships this past year but my mind is bright with the future of our extraordinary Club. Thank you to all — it is my honor to have served as your Communications Chair and I confidently pass the baton to Sue Young. Email — Fran Wong The Club is fortunate to have a robust calendar and Active membership and this necessitates adequate communication in order to be successful. Given the need to be flexible during the ever changing challenges of maintaining the activities of the Club during the pandemic, weekly e-mails were instituted to keep the membership informed and up-to-date. Whenever possible, articles and notices were congregated to avoid encouraging a common habit of ignoring email due to high volume. Appealing stationary is used to attract attention to the content. When we send it we want members to read it! Email notices and reminders have become essential to keeping the membership informed and engaged. Every attempt is made to make sure current addresses are maintained and undelivered email is investigated and resent. Membership cooperation in notifying the Club of changes is always appreciated and is critical to the mission. Finally, incoming messages to the Club email address were distributed to the appropriate individuals for their action. 2019-2020 — Amy South, Chair Communications has continued to report to local papers, publications and social media regarding both our future activities and our accomplishments. lnstagram continues to be a very useful tool to spread word about events and highlight our accomplishments. We continue to use Smugmug for photo storage. I would like to thank Susan Yu, Marilyn Zaret, Susan Straten, Michele Tomasik, Barbara Baletti, and Victoria Herrera for helping cover photographing events. Claire Stepleton continues to provide wonderful, consistent support with photography and tech related questions. The temporary transition to Van Vleck for some of our events this year went smoothly in the communications arena. Attendance was strong for the fabulous Programs which might suggest that the publicity with the Montclair Local , Montclair Times , Baristanet , and Facebook was helpful. We supported some of our partners with advertisements in publications (Montclair Art Museum, Van Vleck, and 'May in Montclair'). Unfortunately, the pandemic brought a halt to all events (March -June) but we did submit a 1/8 page ad to the ·"We Care" section of the Montclair Local in support of the community and "May in Montclair". The website requires a considerable amount of time to be updated and I appreciate all the assistance provided by Claire Stepleton. We will continue to share interactive forms (dues and Annual Luncheon responses) and to take payment on line via credit cards (with a nominal fee) through the website. Some future goals are to increase Membership engagement with the website and to work with Claire Stepleton to update the History and Award information. Thanks to Celia Radek for supplying Yearbook content for the annual website update. This year was exceptionally complicated by Covid-19 and our temporary move to Van Vleck. I am thankful to Florence Leyssène for her knowledge and leadership as President during these challenges and I look forward to another year as Communications/Publicity VP. I am thankful for my Membership and feel inspired by the talents, energy, and dedication of Garden Club members. Email — Fran Wong The Club is fortunate to have a robust calendar and active Membership and this necessitates adequate communication in order to be successful. At least two blast emails were sent each month during the year. Whenever possible, articles and notices were congregated to avoid encouraging a common habit of ignoring email due to high volume. Attractive stationery is used to attract attention to the content. When we send it we want members to read it! Special invitations such as that to the Holiday Tea were also sent. Email notices and reminders have become essential to keeping the Membership informed and engaged. Every attempt is made to make sure current addresses are maintained and undelivered email investigated and re-sent. Membership cooperation in notifying the Club of changes is always appreciated and is critical to the mission. Finally, incoming emails to the Club were distributed to the appropriate individuals and Committee Chairs for their action.