Already at 49 members
When Celia Williamson, the current Treasurer for the Garden Clubs of Mississippi, walked into Renasant Bank a few months ago, she didn’t realize how fruitful her conversation with the staff would be.
Both Britney Childs and Haley Hamrick were quick to latch on to her excitement about gardening and her work with garden clubs across the state while she was conducting her business. When they asked about a local club to join, she was sad to say there used to be a club in Cleveland, but it was never federated. There is a club that is no longer in existence as well as another that is invitation only, but not currently federated.
“She told us all about the garden clubs,” said Childs. “What they were like, and what it would take to start one here. We took it seriously, and were really interested.”
Childs is originally from Belzoni, and has an associates degree in drafting from Moorhead. Although she always thought she would end up leaving the Delta, recently Childs realized she would rather stay and help make the Delta better.
“I am a personal banker here at Renasant,” said Childs. “I actually met my soon to be husband here. He is a biologist for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife Fisheries.”
Because Childs also grew up around gardening, she was excited to find likeminded individuals and start the club. They collectively decided Childs would be president and Hamrick chose to take on the role of secretary as well as treasurer.
“At first it was just Haley, Celia, and me, but then we brought on Miranda Rocconi,” said Childs. “She was really interested, and her mom has Petal Pushers in Indianola. She also sets up at the farmer’s market every year and sells relishes, salsas, jams, and those types of things.”
They began the process of getting the club started in June, and by July they were officially federated, which means they are a “true civic club” recognized as a part of the Hills and Delta District which is affiliated with Deep South Garden Clubs, Garden Clubs of Mississippi, and the National Garden Club.
“We had our first official meeting in September,” said Childs. “Our district director, Debbie Ennis, was there. She was able to present us with our opening check. Every time a club opens, that club is presented with a $200 check to help with club fees and garden supplies.”
At their first meeting Ennis went over Miss Gardner, which is a handbook that each member receives with helpful information about gardening as well as contacts for members to reach out to if they are in need of assistance. For the program portion of the evening, Williamson taught each attendee how to make simple flower arrangements in mason jars.
“That’s another thing,” said Childs. “Every time we talk to somebody that wants to join, they’re adamant they can’t plant, but if we’re being honest, we can’t either. We’re learning together.”
According to Childs, each meeting begins with the pledge of allegiance before they go over the details for ongoing projects. Once the business is finished, the program can begin. They learned how to make pumpkin arrangements at their most recent meeting, and November will be all about transitional center piece designs that can be adapted and used throughout the holiday season.
“It’s going to be educational, and you’ll learn how to take care of plants, but you’re also going to be doing fun stuff,” said Childs.
The club has multiple committees for its members to get involved with, including: youth, social media and advertising, yard of the month, finance, membership, and yearbook.
“Right now, our main focus with youth is Spark, and it’s a program that Delta Arts Alliance started this year to encourage and support young artists,” said Childs.
Childs is most excited about the Yard of the Month committee that will award people for making an effort all around Cleveland.
“It’s going to push people to make their yard look nice, which is going to make Cleveland look nice,” said Childs.
Each meeting is on the third Thursday of the month at 6:00 p.m. and lasts about two hours. Childs said the meetings are held later in the day to accommodate working women.
As it is their first year, Childs said she does not plan to be strict with the requirements. But technically, each member is expected to attend five of the nine monthly meetings, pay their local and state dues ($40 total), and volunteer for at least two hours per year.
“We’re starting at two volunteer hours for the year, but hopefully, we can get that up a little bit in the future,” said Childs. “Most garden clubs now are full of retirees, but this is a club made of working women.”
Because the club has become so big in such a short period of time and already has about 40 paid members, Childs said they will probably have to cap the membership at some point.
Volunteer hours can be gotten through other projects as well, but Childs said they will have opportunities for members to volunteer on the weekends. As a member of the Garden Clubs of American, each club is also supposed to have at least one large project per year, apart from ongoing projects like Spark. Their main focus right now is raising money for future programs and working on the Delta Arts Alliance garden.
“Any help there would be appreciated,” said Childs.
Currently, Childs said there is also a “Freezer Pleaser” raffle going on to raise money. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased from any member. The winner will receive a freezer full of food made by the members of the club.
The overall goal for the club is to bring beauty back to Cleveland. Childs believes that if the club can help make Cleveland more beautiful, it will help the city with economic development and get more kids excited about going to school at Delta State.
“There’s things around town that could be beautified,” said Childs. “Cleveland, as a whole, has the potential to be so much more than what it is right now, but I don’t think people want to put in the time or the effort.”
The club is currently using a popular new app called Band for their internal communication, but anyone else can reach out to them through their Facebook profile. Because they are still so new, Childs said she is open to listening to any suggestions for projects they should take on next.
“We’re going to have another interest meeting in the Spring,” said Childs. “But if you want to get involved, reach out and see what it’s about.”