Making Memories and Spreading Joy
A Holiday Note from the Friends. Above: Volunteers managing our 2022 Holiday Plant Sale
Looking Back on 2022...
It has been a wonderful year together, hasn't it?
We've reconnected and re-engaged in deeper and more meaningful ways than we have in the past two years.
We've grown our volunteer base by welcoming dozens of new faces to the Friends of Allan Gardens volunteer team. Thanks to the volunteers — new and old — we've planted new gardens, grown fresh food for local food banks, and run many public-facing events for the community.
We've hosted several plant sales in 2022 that saw over 1,200 people go home with beautiful plants that were grown or curated by Friends of Allan Gardens volunteers.
We've run children's programs including pumpkin carving, holiday crafts, and horticulture-related activities, serving up to 50 local families at any given event.
We've worked with our partners at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU)’s Office of Social Innovation and the Children's Book Bank to bring Children's Storytelling to the Children's Conservatory, further enlivening the park.
Also thanks to our partnership with TMU, Miinikaan, and Spruce Labs, we've been able to deliver and care for a new Indigenous garden for Miziwe Biik, an employment agency across the street.
We've facilitated thought-provoking tree tours led by local tree experts that have elevated community dialogue about the role of trees in Toronto’s urban landscape.
We've successfully piloted restarting our docent program which will see Friends’ volunteers return to the display houses to share knowledge about the botanical wonders growing in the conservatory.
Finally, thanks to our wonderful working relationship with the City of Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation, we've seen a successful return to all of our indoor programming, and we've weighed in on key projects for the park including the restoration of the Palm House (which began this year), and the expansion of the Teaching Garden (set to begin next year).
It has been a monumental year for the Friends of Allan Gardens, and YOU are the reason we've made so much progress.
Spread the Joy!
As we are preparing to slow down for the holidays, we humbly ask you to consider supporting us in one of two ways. Our goal is to raise $2,500 in additional recurring donations this holiday season so we may keep serving you.
The first way you might support us is by donating to our holiday fundraising campaign by clicking on the URL below.
The second way you might support us is by sharing our holiday giving campaign link with your social networks using this URL:
https://veritascharityservices.com/campaigns/friends-of-allan-gardens-holiday-fundraiser-2022/
Even a small action like sharing our campaign with your family and friends, or supporting us with a small one-time donation makes a difference. Since we’re a registered charity, every donation will receive a charitable tax receipt.
Happy Holidays & See You in 2023!
Whether you're a volunteer, a visitor, or a donor, you've made our work possible! You inspire us, and you keep us going. Thank you!
We hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful holiday season filled with joy, peace, warmth and kindness.
We look forward to serving you again in 2023!
Sincerely,
The Staff and Board Members of Friends of Allan Gardens
Staff
Derek Barber, Edible Garden Coordinator
Matthew Canaran, Volunteer Coordinator & Project Manager
Sarah Munro, Growing with the City Project Manager
Renita Swan, Community Facilitator
Board Members
Dana Alexandrescu, Director
Laura Dean, Director
Ionela-Maria Florescu, Director
Adele Freeman, Director
Robert McKaye, Director
Michael McClelland, Chair
Brendan Stewart, Director