AMERICAN COMMUNITY GARDENING ASSOCIATION
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Have you herd?
CIRCLE the DATES : SEPTEMBER 27-30 in HOUSTON, TEXAS. ACGA'S annual conference is an event no community gardener wants to miss! Watch for details here, including our CALL FOR PRESENTERS, coming soon! Photo Lewis Vest/Flickr)
Want to fly? Give up what weighs you down.
As 2023 gets started, I would like to share a reminder to everyone in ACGA and the community gardening movement. We must never forget that walking away from something unhealthy is an act of bravery, even if you stumble a little on your way out the door. Yes, it is hard at times, but breaking away means a new beginning. Another door opens, showing the way to go after what you believe in.
The journey may be a long one, with struggles along the way. Great things, like great gardens, take time. I quote Maya Angelou:
“You will face many defeats in life, but never let yourself be defeated.”
The American Community Gardening Association is stepping into 2023 with a blast. We are welcoming six new board members from across the country. We have a new address, a new sponsor has joined us, and we are forming new partnerships. Most importantly of all, we still have you as members of our organization. Thank you for being part of this grassroots movement!
2022 was a banner year for ACGA. We were able to provide support to thousands of community gardeners, farmers, educators, organizers and non-profits, and we organized a successful, transformative, and fun(!) conference in New Orleans. I want us to build on this year of achievements.
It is my desire to continue to improve our services to the gardeners, organizers, and communities we serve, by being more accessible to all who seek our assistance. One key part of this is welcoming all who wish to join our movement.
We are now preparing for our Winter Board Meeting in Houston, Texas, in February. There, I will call on our ACGA Board of Directors, old and new, to join me in creating a plan to make 2023 our most effective year ever. I challenge all of us to make ACGA the number one organization for providing reliable information and motivating inspiration on community gardening and urban agriculture.
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Cathy Walker
President
The American Community Gardening Association
President's message
Your personal involvement with your own community garden benefits both you and your neighborhood. By taking the next step of joining with your fellow gardeners in ACGA, you help support all community gardens across the United States and Canada. Our movement has been growing for more than four decades, thanks to grassroots support from gardeners and organizers like you.
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Given how essential you are to our movement, we at ACGA want to begin 2023 by listening to your suggestions. Watch for a short survey after the new year, asking for your opinions and ideas for the community gardening movement. What should we focus on, now and in the future? We’ll also be asking about what you see as the most valuable aspects of ACGA for you and for your community garden.
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When the survey comes to your email box, please take a minute to share your wisdom with us. Just as our gardens need good compost, our movement needs your honest perspectives to keep growing vigorously and sustainably. Make sure your membership and contact information are up-to-date so we know where to send the survey.
We wish you a happy and fruitful new year, and a bountiful gardening seasoning.
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See you in the garden!
Vicki Garrett,
On behalf of our Board of Directors and Membership Committee
Survey coming soon!
Community gardening questions?
ACGA is a great place to ask questions and share perspectives about all aspects of community gardening. You can ask us directly via our contact form, buy copies of our annual magazine addressing different community garden topics at our Shop, or visit our Resources page for links and references. Last but not least, you can post your garden or find a garden using our interactive garden map.
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High marks and ACGA's new annual report
As you consider your plans for end-of-year contributions to your favorite organizations, you not only want to make the world greener, healthier, and more just; you also want your money to be used wisely. Highly respected non-profit rating agency Guidestar has given ACGA its Siver rating for transparency. To find out more about what we are doing, read about us in our 2020 Annual Report, compiled by ACGA Board Member (and ardent birder) Marilu Lopez-Fretts.