Sustainer Volunteer Award Winner Urszula Wojciechowska (right) with Director of Nominating Marissa Bellio

A highlight of our year-end General Membership Meeting is always recognition of our outstanding volunteers. TheVolunteer Recognition Awards are presented to one Active, one Sustainer, and one New Member who in their current placements go above and beyond their placement requirements and embody the mission of the Junior League of Boston. This year, we are pleased to recognize Urszula Wojciechowska as the Sustainer Volunteer award recipient. The text below is adapted from the announcement of Urszula’s win. Congratulations, Urszula!

Urszula has once again been a major contributor this year to the Sustainer Council and to the Sustainer membership of JL Boston. One of her most memorable contributions this year was her chairing the Mid-Winter Fest in March for Sustainers that was held at Headquarters. This was an important event to offer Sustainers. Attendees enjoyed a fun, festive evening together that Urszula organized and led so beautifully.

Over the years, Urszula has been a major contributor to the Sustainer Council, to the Sustainer membership, and to JL Boston. She has served JL Boston as Chair (now known as Director) of the Sustainer Committee (now known as Council) for several years, which developed opportunities to re-engage Sustainers in the League beyond simply paying dues each year. She continues to be a very active member on the Council, and has organized and produced numerous wonderful events, with grace, goodwill, and a cheerful twinkle to serve the Sustainer population. Urszula is an event planner extraordinaire and she is ready to jump in and volunteer on whatever is needed. We are thankful for her ongoing dedication to the Junior League and to the Sustainers.

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The Junior League of Boston celebrated the return of Spring and all the amazing spring growth that comes with it at the Art in Bloom event at the Museum of Fine Arts on April 26th. The event pairs both fine arts and flower arrangements donated from around Massachusetts, including a flower arrangement from JL Boston. Sustainers Kirsten Alexander and Audra Dainora arranged the flowers in honor of the 90th anniversary of our Garden Club.

The arrangement donated by the JL Boston Garden Club in celebration of their 90th anniversary.

The preview of the freshly installed arrangements was courtesy of the JL Boston Garden Club, run by our Sustainer members. JL Boston members were able to attend a private tour discussing the arrangements as well as the art pieces that inspired them around the museum. All arrangements included a list of ornamental plants that were included in the arrangement; the pieces were not just pleasing to see but also extremely educational!

The Garden Club celebrates Art in Bloom each year. If you are interested in flowers, fine art, and how the two can come together in harmony, watch for next year’s tour on our member calendar!

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Public Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The equestrian George Washington statue was created by the monumental American sculptor Thomas Ball in 1867.

The Junior League of Boston’s Garden Club, historically called the Boston Junior League Garden Club (BJLGC), celebrates 90 years of educating our members in all things horticultural!  Founded in 1929, the BJLGC today is a member of the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts (GCFM), a charter member of the national Garden Club (a nonprofit educational organization) and affiliate member of the Boston Committee of the Garden Club of America (GCA).  Highlights of our history range from the pioneering urban garden project the “Embankment Garden” (1946 –1984) for children in the West End to floral interpretation at the Museum of Fine Arts “Art in Bloom” celebration (1979 – 2019).  During your next visit to JL Boston headquarters, be sure to visit the BJLGC display cabinet in the living room for a visual tour of our history to date.

In recent club news, Victoria Chane created the club’s contribution to MassHort’s Festival of Trees 2018, a gold themed Christmas tree entitled “Midas Touch.” This annual raffle to trees raises funds for MassHort’s educational mission. At this time, Kirsten Alexander and Audra Dainora are busy preparing a floral interpretation of Wassily Kandinsky’s 1923 work “Violet” for MFA’s Art in Bloom (AIB), which we toured in an all-League outing on the opening evening of AIB, Friday, April 29.

In addition to the AIB tour, we will have an upcoming BJLGC field trip open to all League members.  We will join the Rose Brigade in the Boston Public Garden to learn how to prune the roses. A tour, tools and gloves will be provided.

As always, we are seeking new members who have an interest in our mission of floral design and horticultural education. Monthly meetings take place at noon on the fourth Monday of each month, September – May. For additional information on BJLGC, please contact club President Shawna Giggey-Mashal.

We close this update with a poem from our archives on the occasion of our 80^th anniversary in 2009.

Junior League Garden Club 80^th Anniversary

The Garden Club of the Junior League
has no member that shows fatigue
Ready with skill and great ideas,
a competing arranger is put to tears.

For many years shining at Art in Bloom
we’ve won praise in almost every room.
We can always bask in our glorious past
but the future approaches all too fast.

So we’re launching into 80 more
ready to go and ready to soar.
Bouquets and praise to every member,
as we celebrate this day in December.

And in a Christmas spirit that’s full of fun
may God bless us, every one.

Jean Green, age 95, Christmas 2009
Past President, BJLGC; Past Chair, Embankment Project
Born 2/24/1914 –  died 12/28/2010

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