ABOUT THE LAKE FOREST GARDEN CLUB

The Lake Forest Garden Club was founded in 1912 by a handful of forward-thinking women as a volunteer organization dedicated to horticulture and conservation. In 1913, it was one of twelve founding members of the Garden Club of America. From its earliest years, the Lake Forest Garden Club has worked to promote the understanding of the interdependence of horticulture, environmental protection and community improvement. Since 2000, and now including this grant, the Club has made philanthropic contributions totaling over $1 million dollars in the local community. Projects include planting of elm trees along Deerpath Road, from Green Bay Road to Waukegan Road, in memory of soldiers who died in WWI, and planting of daffodil bulbs that bloom in April on the Deerpath Middle School hill in memory of the victims of 9/11. The Club has provided funds for a landscape redesign plan for Market Square in the 1990’s, for work at Gorton Community Center, both the former and new Lake Forest Hospitals, the Lake Forest Library, and most recently the re-imagined Forest Park.

Club representatives are advocates for environmental protection in Washington, D.C. at the annual National Affairs and Legislation Conference. The Club supports local scholarships through the Center for Conservation Leadership at Lake Forest Open Lands Association, along with national initiatives and funding for Garden Club of America scholarships.