Board Update – September 2022
Photo Credit: Rohan Patel @nomad_ro
Dear Friend,
Happy September!
As many of our friends know, at the end of August, we bid a very fond farewell to our Program Manager, Diana Teal, who will be spending the next year traveling with her partner.
Diana started as FOAG’s first employee in 2017 with the job of delivering programming that celebrates Allan Gardens as a place to enjoy and participate in horticulture, urban agriculture, and the natural environment. We are in awe of Diana’s many accomplishments since that time.
Under Diana’s leadership, the Friends have:
amassed over 10,000 volunteer hours
hosted several plant sales
run a very successful children’s program
conducted many more learning and stewardship activities with the public
Despite the challenges of COVID, Diana kept the community engaged and the FOAG volunteer roster has continued to flourish.
We are grateful for Diana’s committed leadership, friendship, and positivity. We wish her all the best!
Thankfully, it is not all goodbyes around here. We are excited to share with you that Derek Barber and Matt Canaran will expand their involvement with the FOAG community.Derek is an experienced urban agriculture educator and leader with a keen interest in community resilience, food security, and food sustainability. He has been a part of the Allan Gardens community since 2019, and will be leading the Edible Garden programming through the fall and beyond. If you’ve worked with Derek, you’re already aware of his wealth of knowledge! With Derek’s involvement, the Edible Garden remains a space of bountiful harvests, and a gathering place for volunteerism and learning.
Matt recently obtained a Masters Degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Guelph and has a background in gardening, environmental stewardship, and grass-roots organizing. Matt is interested in fair and equal access to public space, and the idea that communities can come together to heal their relationship with the Earth. In addition to taking on some of Diana’s responsibilities for program delivery and volunteer coordination, Matt is working on FOAG’s “Growing with the City” project which will update the 2016 “Refresh” document, setting priorities for the future of Allan Gardens.
The Friends of Allan Gardens are thrilled to have Derek and Matt involved in this community. In this newsletter update, you’ll see all the amazing events and activities they have planned for the fall!
Key Updates from the Board:
The Edible Garden continues to thrive thanks to the capabilities of Derek and our faithful volunteers! This year, volunteers grew 15 types of herbs and vegetables. So far this season, the Edible Garden has produced about 825 bunches of food which have been delivered to Moss Park Market by bicycle or provided to the Toronto Food Not Bombs food share on Sundays.
FOAG has organized a series of tree tours to take place in September and October. These tours will be led by local experts and are intended to provide participants with a new appreciation for the trees in the park! See below for more information.
To continue the tradition, FOAG will be hosting our Annual Fall Plant Sale on Saturday, October 1st from 10am to 1pm. FOAG will be selling tropical plants, succulents, and some herbs for window sill gardening.
Our partners at TMU will be hosting a four-day festival called People, Power and the Park, celebrating Allan Gardens’ history as a vital and valued gathering place in Toronto. The festival runs from September 22nd to September 25th. Scroll down for more info.
The “Mud-day Mornings” program has wrapped up after 6 weeks of fun in the Children’s Garden. Thank you to all of the families who joined us this summer. A special thank you to the Mud-days Volunteer team, who went above and beyond to make each week’s activities fun and engaging for everyone!
FOAG’s Summer Matching Gift Campaign is underway! We are currently 88% of the way towards our goal of raising $2,500 which will be matched by a generous donor. Scroll down or follow this link to contribute to the campaign!
In other exciting news, the City advises that the selected contractor for the Palm House restoration is expected to move onto the site towards the end of October. We are happy that this important and necessary work will be starting soon!
Read on for more information about what’s happening at Allan Gardens!
Sincerely,
Board of Directors
Friends of Allan Gardens
To view the full September 2022 issue, click here!