General Meeting Minutes
June 7, 2023
Home of Lisa Evans
Attendees: Marcia Albrecht, Gwen Babcock, Mary Blodgett, Nena Brogan, Catherine
Coquillard, Lisa Evans, Megan Foker, Liz Gilfillan, Page Haralambos, Connie Harding,
Barbara Jameson, Alfrida King, Susan Kranwinkle, Adrienne Kreindler, Marianne Lynch,
Carlin McCarthy, Judy McDonald, Nancy McGowan, Sally Miller, Ruth Pasqualetto,
Sara Pelton, Kristin Poulsen, Eugenie Schlueter, Annette Serrurier, Cathy Tosetti, Cindy
Wenzlau, Sally Wenzlau, Athena Wood, Yvonne Zaro
Absent: Annie Babcock, Susan Babcock, Debbe Booth, Bette Cooper, Sally Harris,
Tracy Hirrel, Debbie Hollingsworth, Angela Loewel, Mary Anne Mielke, Kathy Miller,
Gretl Mulder, Megan Phelps, Dorothy Scully, Clare Tayback
Welcome: Lisa called the meeting to order at 11:00 a.m. and thanked everyone for
attending and for joining her for lunch. She also thanked all the wonderful garden
hostesses for opening their beautiful, unique, and interesting gardens for our Garden
Tours in May. Thank you Nancy, Debbe B, Mary B, Kristin P, Annette S, and Susan K.
Secretary: Since there was no General Meeting in May, there were no minutes to
approve.
Treasurer: Alfrida shared the final balances as of June 1, 2023, as follows:
Bank of America – $95,530.06 and Schwab – $426,957.67 with a total of $522,487.73
Alfrida said that there are a few outstanding items from the Auction but as of today the
Net Income is $39,119.89 which was up from $38,837.36 in 2022. She asked for any
outstanding bills to be sent to her as soon as possible.
Endowment: Debbe was not able to attend the meeting and Lisa shared her report
with the Diggers. (Report attached to minutes)
Field Trips: 13 Diggers attended the Dodger Stadium Garden Tour on May 25th. Cathy
T shared the wonderful experience she had and noted that pictures are on the website.
Horticulture: Yvonne awarded the book Miss Rumphius to Cathy T, this year’s
Challenge Plant winner. Cathy T creatively made chamomile tea from her plant.
Membership: Lisa welcomed our new member Catherine Coquillard and thanked her
for joining us.
Marianne L asked everyone to please check the directory for any updates or
corrections.
Old Mill: Athena shared that tickets for the Summer Concert with Sgt. Pepper Beatles
Tribute Band on June 17 are almost sold out and suggested to buy soon if you’d like to
attend.
Other Business: Cindy reported that the committee for the Diggers Centennial 2024
will be meeting this summer to begin planning. She is hoping the entire club will be
involved in some way. Please let Cindy know if you would like to join the committee.
Mary B presented the Club Appreciation Award to Carlin McCarthy for all her amazing
contributions over the years.
Lisa gave a brief recap of the GCA Annual Meeting and shared her experience with the
Diggers. She also thanked the Board for all their support this year and presented each
with a gardening gift. Lisa then welcomed Athena Wood as the Diggers new President
and graciously passed the president’s gavel to Athena.
Meeting was adjourned at 11:25 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Nancy McGowan
Endowment Report from Debbe Booth:
Thank you to all who donated to the Diggers Endowment Fund. We raised $6,100 this
year, up about $1,000 over last year.
Those donations came from 54% of our overall membership.
18 Actives (66%) donated; 8 Associates (50%) donated; and 1 Absentee (14%)
donated.
Our gratitude to each of you!
We made two grants this year: Ronald McDonald House in Pasadena received $8,150
to create an accessible garden path and a native backyard for the children and their
families to enjoy.
Villa Esperanza received $10,000 for their Hope Moves Forward Campaign. This
funding will go towards a Sensory Garden and Gathering Space for Children and Adults
with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. I find it heartening to have funded two
projects that are very garden oriented.
We are always on the lookout for a project from the community that needs funding.
With our mission “to stimulate and share the knowledge and love of gardening, to foster
an interest in conservation and protection of native flora, and to encourage active
participation in horticulture” in mind, please keep your eyes and ears open for possible
submissions. We will have money to spend for the 2023 cycle. Look around you,
inquire of other like-minded organizations, and talk amongst your friends who work
with other agencies that might need a bit of a horticultural facelift. There are projects
out there that need our help.
Finally, I would like to acknowledge the Endowment Committee: Lisa, Alfrida, Liz, and
Cindy. You ladies have been wonderful stewards of our funds.
Again, thank you to all of you who contributed to the Endowment Fund. We have made
a difference. And we plan to continue this tradition going forward.