We have over a century of outreach and philanthropy - core principles of our club.
Outreach programs have always been an important component of KGC. During the forties and fifties, the Club distributed plants and bouquets to area hospitals and developed a special interest in Onward Neighborhood House. War projects were the Club’s focus from 1941 to 1945. Members helped residents of the Good News Life Center create seasonal flower arrangements, contributed to a Shady Sitting Garden for Pilsen Neighbors, and supported a garden and program for children and families at the Family Focus “Our Place Center” in Evanston. During the holiday season, members made bedside bouquets for patients at local hospices, hospitals or retirement homes. The Club also helped the Kenilworth Girl Scouts earn their Plant Life Badges by educating them about flower arranging and horticulture.
In the late fifties KGC was a contributing founder of The Chicago Botanic Garden (CBG). In 1974 the Club received the prestigious GCA Founders Fund grant to help establish the Garden for the Disabled, now the Buehler Enabling Garden, at the CBG. In 2001-2006, KGC established The Kenilworth Garden Club Endowment Fund for the Buehler Enabling Garden with a $25,000 contribution. Through the generosity of the membership, the fund continues to grow to sustain this important, accessible resource.
Over the years KGC has made notable contributions to Kenilworth’s Mahoney Park, Magnolia Garden, and the Charles A. Ware Memorial Garden. Our gifts have also supported the Inner Court Garden of the Art Institute in Chicago, the Garden Under the Arches, The Skokie School South Courtyard, Street Scapes in Winnetka, Open Lands in Chicago, and the Great Basin Water Garden at the CBG. The Great Perennial Divide, a collaborative effort to provide plants to city gardens, was another ongoing Club commitment.
In 2012 the Club donated $25,000 to the Midwest Hospice & Palliative Care Center (now called JourneyCare) to complete a flower repurposing room, named in honor of the Kenilworth Garden Club. We also funded a sensory garden for the McAuley Residence of Misericordia, for which we won our second prestigious Garden Club of America Founders Fund grant in 2018. KGC volunteers decorate areas of the McAuley Residence of Misericordia every Christmas and plant flowers in the spring.
KGC also maintains parts of Magnolia Garden, which is just steps away from the historic Kenilworth train station on the southwest corner of Kenilworth Avenue and Richmond Road. Magnolia Garden was a gift from the Sauter Family and Kenilworth Garden Club. KGC fills the planters and tends to the small garden throughout the year. We invite you to stop by and enjoy a quiet respite.
In addition, KGC outreach consists of educating ourselves and our community in horticulture, floral design, conservation, photography and gardening. If you have a question about these subjects, or are interested in partnering with us, please complete the form on our Contact Us page and we will be in touch with you.
Our outreach projects and philanthropic donations depend upon the generosity of our members and our community. Kenilworth Garden Club is an IRS Section 501(c)(3) charity. For more information or to support programs like these, please contact us.