March 20, 2002
Flower and Garden Show springs to life
Habitat for Humanity holds fund-raiser March 29-31
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Habitat for Humanity's upcoming Flower Garden Show will give winter-weary residents a sneak preview of spring - at least a month ahead of the real thing.
Scheduled for March 29-31 at the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa, the show will feature more than 60 vendors and 20 seminars cover all things gardening and include five centerpiece gardens plus a garden caf‚. In addition, fresh flowers and other garden products will be for sale.
The Flower Garden Show has been Habitat for Humanity's major fund-raiser every year for the past two years. Organizers hope that this year's event, held in the Grand Traverse Resort's Governor's Hall, will be the biggest ever.
They have set an ambitious goal of raising $50,000 and attracting at least 7,500 visitors. This is $20,000 more than last year's total, raised in a smaller venue that drew 4,400 attendees. As in past years, all proceeds will be used to build affordable houses for families in Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Benzie and Leelanau counties.
"This show provides necessary funding for the support of the current ministry and our future ministry," said Robin Grubbs, executive director of the organization since last April. "We've built about 12 houses since I started; my first week here we had a couple of dedications and a couple of groundbreakings. Now we've got five going in process right and we try to do seven a year."
The show will also feature a series of seminars on a variety of gardening topics, ranging from butterfly gardening and choosing fertilizer to fruit cultures and ornamental baskets. Habitat for Humanity will also have a booth at the show to recruit volunteers and spread the word about their mission.
In addition, a live auction, silent auction and auction of more than 75 hand-made and decorated birdhouses will be held during the weekend. These birdhouses were made by members of the Women's Council of the Home Builder's Association, who will donate 50 percent of the proceeds to Habitat.
"We've filled the show and people will see all kinds of things from landscapes to water gardens to actual gardens they can walk through, plus garden products, yard products and a birdhouse auction, said Cecil McNally, a member of the Habitat for Humanity Board who has helped organize the event for the past three years. "There are lots of things for people to do and it's a really nice way to see what's going on and what's new in gardening."
On the evening of Thursday, March 28, the show will kick-off with an upscale Preview Party, featuring music by Jeff Haas and Friends and hors d'oeuvres by The Dish.
The theme for the Flower Garden Show is "Helping Families Grow" and reflects the organization's philosophy of giving people a hand up, not a hand out. Families chosen as partners must put in 275 hours of sweat equity per adult, 200 of those hours on their own home. They also pay a mortgage for their home, it is not given to them for free.
During a partnership with a family, family advocates work closely with them to help them learn the basics of home ownership. A series of workshops focus on budgeting, repair, insurance, lawn care and maintenance. The last workshop covers community resources, what they are and where they can be found, to help a family get help when needed.
"Habitat for Humanity is so much more than building houses," Grubbs said. "It takes us six months to a year to build a house, so we have an opportunity to partner with the family for that long."
Tickets for the Habitat for Humanity Flower Garden Show are available at Younkers, the Habitat office and at the door. For more information, call Habitat for Humanity at 941-4663.