I received a wreath from the Back Bay Garden Club this past Christmas, and it was absolutely stunning. And I was pleased to hear that the money spent on it went to a great cause: the beautification and maintenance of Boston's gardens and public spaces. The parks and gardens of Boston are an important part of our history and heritage and I'm so happy to know that there's a club dedicated to their preservation.
And their website is a great resource for anyone looking for events and workshops in Boston!
The Garden Club of the Back Bay is a nonprofit located in central Boston that is completely run by volunteers. Every year they raise money through various means and grants and with that money they do nice things for the neighborhood. Members can enjoy classes, lectures and trips. Their website is an exhaustive list of everything garden/park/tree related in the city with multiple new events being posted every day. It was a great resource when I first moved to the city just to know things to do!
The best thing they do, however, is take care of the trees. Like most cities, Boston lacks the time or funds to prune every tree in every neighborhood. Every year the Garden Club raises tens of thousands of dollars to prune overgrown trees, plant new ones and remove sick or dead trees. This makes my neighborhood so much nicer visually as well as safer (no falling branches!). Visiting the Back Bay you immediately notice it's beauty and might not think much about the work that comes into that. It is generally a place that feels go to be in and brings joy to it's residents and visitors (there is a bustling shopping strip). Even people who have never heard of this club or don't care about giving to non profits benefit from their work because a beautiful neighborhood keeps real estate values up. Plus, hello, it's pretty nice to live in a pretty place!
One of the coolest things the Garden Club does is make holiday wreaths every year. A group of members all volunteer their time to make what are truly the prettiest wreaths I have ever seen. They are way fancier than you'd get even at the local florist shops. But they are less expensive and all the money goes to keep my neighborhood beautiful. Plus walking around during the holidays is made so pleasant by seeing wreaths on all the doors. You can tell when it's a Garden Club wreath!
There are just so many non profits out there that do wonderful things and deserve money and support. One of the ways a group stands out to me is when it is run by volunteers. You can really trust your money is going to a good place.