After a few days of rest (and time to catch up on their non-GCG lives), the team hit the road one more time, traveling for a Thursday, July 26  (and their final) presentation in Savannah for the 76 members of 28 clubs in the Oleander District.

The workshops were organized with each presenter covering an assigned topic. Each Leadership and Awards workshop started with a warm welcome from the District Director(s) and the introduction  of GCG President Lisa Hall.  After introducing the other presenters, Lisa presented information about the 2023-2025 National Garden Club, Inc. (NGC) and  the Deep South Garden Club, Inc. (DSGC) new presidents and their themes.  She reminded the attendees of her theme, “Plant America: Promoting Beautification, Conservation, and Education”.  Lisa also presented and reviewed the newly revised 2023 - 2025 GCG President’s Report, highlighting important changes and emphasizing the need for clubs to mark  activities and projects relevant not only to their clubs but also items that are specific to the activities of individual members.

Membership was Nilsa Summey’s topic.  Nilsa’s presentation was complete with witty mnemonics “Membership is Key to GCG” and “Recruit, Retain! Revitalize!” to highlight the vital role of members in the success of GCG and its garden clubs. She also gave important information and tips for membership development.  Bess Hartley emphasized the importance of an organized president to a successful club meeting and she highlighted things to include in a President’s toolbox. She also gave important guidelines on parliamentary procedures. Diane Hunter gave an engaging look at the newly revised GCG website, highlighting where the information from the previous website could be found on the new site.  She also emphasized the use of the District pages for important information needed for club business and for member general knowledge. Diane presented the new GCG Communications Protocol and gave examples of how clubs can share appropriately across all GCG media platforms.

Money was the next thing on the agenda. NGC and other national and state, as well as GCG, grants were highlighted by Marilyn McDonnell.  This information on the myriad of available grants allowed those in attendance to see the diverse and possible grant options for funding club projects. Marilyn also gave relevant financial information regarding banking and treasurers’ reporting.  Rounding out the morning session, Gale D. Thomas informed the attendees of GCG President’s commitment to making sure that GCG offers a multitude of educational opportunities for its members. These opportunities, including the NGC Environmental, Gardening and Landscape Schools, locally produced informational and training YouTube and Facebook videos, and other learning opportunities are in the works, Announcing that the first set of courses for Gardening and Landscape Schools will be starting in September, she informed the participants that more information could be found on the GCG website. Members were also reminded to check out the NGC Membership Mondays and the NGC YouTube channel.

After a full morning of information, the participants were ready to eat and fellowship. During the lunch break, there was lively conversation as club members engaged in  fellowship with their  club friends and with GCG members from other clubs.

Lunch was followed by the Awards presentation by Chairman Diana Malone and Co-Chairman Martha Cobb.  Diana gave a review of the revised Awards Manual, copies of which were given to each attendee. By focusing on important updates, including the NGC Photo Release Form and the required e-submissions for all awards except Yearbooks, Diana emphasized the importance of understanding the awards process and correctly completing the Awards application. Using a lively alter-ego, “Flossie Mae”, Martha engaged the workshop participants in a question and answer session, complete with gifts for the correct answers. (see photo)

All of the information presented during these sessions will be available on this page below this article.  Additionally, thanks to Camille Greeley, GCG Social Media Chairman, a video of one of the workshop sessions will be posted on the near  future to the GCG YouTube channel.