Letter from the PresidentACGA's 35th Birthday
 The organization is just moving into adulthood and just starting to find its way. One of the things that I have noticed as a bi-national organization is that we have integrated environmental education in to schools, communities, churches and other social institutions. As president, let me say that our organization has done significant work for society. The founding group that met in Chicago some 35 years ago had a vision. Those board members who will follow us will make a greater contribution.
My Part
I have been a board member for a long time. Why? Because it's about having an impact on the environment, fostering community change through gardens, and putting tools in place to see the gardens transition from one generation to another. Most of all it is about seeing and meeting all of you at our annual conferences year in and year out--what a ride.
From the Atlanta, Georgia perspective, I think that our city has played its part by hosting two  ACGA National Conferences. One in 2000 was called "Planting Millenium Seeds for Future Urban Growth". And 2010 we had "Holistic Approach to Building Sustainable and Healthy Communities". We also hosted the Southeastern Regional ACGA Conference in 1997 called "Community Gardening Beyond Food Production". Atlanta hosted a Food Security Conference in 2005 "It's Home Grown". Just let me say to you, your President believes in the mission of ACGA to build community by increasing and enhancing community gardening and greening across the United States and Canada.
I want you to know we are living out that dream every day. That's why we started a five-acre farm in the Metro Atlanta area in College Park, Georgia. See our website: themetroatlantaurbanfarm.com.
Keeping Hope Alive
Who will step up and lead ACGA? Who will dream dreams and have the leadership skills necessary to carry out the mission and vision of ACGA? Who will commit themselves, their organization, their towns, their cities and resources to this great movement? Keep in mind that this is a grassroots organization founded for the good of society. I leave you with some ideas of what we need: - New city for our national conferences
- Regional ACGA offices across North America
- Board members from Canada
- An Executive Director with the passion and love for the environment, the people and for healthier communities
This is only a template to help this organization move forward.
Taking Care of the Environment
Think about the communities that you helped start a community garden. Think about the condition of the land. Think about the people and their state of mind. As I look back at those communities, I can see a tremendous impact. Fresh vegetables, self-esteem being up lifted, cleaning up vacant lots, removing tons of trash from those sites, composting and making good soil, growing food free of chemicals, using water wisely, seeing our young people in urban areas learning the importance of helping take of the environment through gardening, learning about insects; good bugs, bad bugs, using sustainable agriculture practices in the garden. What an impact upon the people, community and the environment!
As community gardeners you have impacted the environment in a positive way. Moving forward as community gardeners, our role becomes more significant as we help build healthy communities, feed more people and help take care of the environment. If you are not doing most of these things, please start today. Join the American Community Gardening Association.
Sincerely,
Bobby Wilson, President ACGA
Letter from the Membership Committee
 As the world prepares for the New Year to begin I would like to thank all of our members for their continued support in 2013. Additionally, I would like to ask you to take action now. There are thousands of community gardens that have not been entered into our National database. More so, these community gardens could benefit from your direct
contact.
The American Community Gardening Association is committed to empowering it’s members to impact their communities. “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples,” were motivating words spoken by Mother Teresa. ACGA may not be able to change the world alone but through its membership, we can continue to impact communities, one member at a time.
So we are asking each member to do the following:
• Register your community garden
• Upgrade your membership
• Sponsor a local school with a school membership
Thank you for making a difference, one garden at a time.
Charlie Monroe
Board Member
Membership Chair 
A Community Garden Christmas  One community gardener's reflections on the past season, sung to the tune of The Twelve Days of Christmas.
"On the first day of Christmas, my community garden gave to me, a freezer full of salsa and zucchini. On the second day of Christmas, my community garden gave to me, two green beans, and a freezer full of salsa and zucchini. On the third day of Christmas, my community garden gave to me, three life-long friends, two green beans, and a freezer full of salsa and zucchini. On the fourth day of Christmas, my community garden gave to me, four seasons of kale, three life-long friends, two green beans, and a freezer full of salsa and zucchini. On the fifth day of Christmas, my community garden gave to me, FIVE LEAKY HOSES!, four seasons of kale, three life-long friends, two green beans, and a freezer full of salsa and zucchini. On the sixth day of Christmas, my community garden gave to me, six yards of compost, FIVE LEAKY HOSES!, four seasons of kale, three life-long friends, two life-long friends, and freezer full of salsa and zucchini. On the seventh day of Christmas, my community garden gave to me, seven angry hornets, six yards of compost, FIVE LEAKY HOSES!, four seasons of kale, three life-long friends, two life-long friends, and freezer full of salsa and zucchini. On the eighth day of Christmas, my community garden gave to me, eight pot-luck dinners, seven angry hornets, six yards of compost, FIVE LEAKY HOSES!, four seasons of kale, three life-long friends, two life-long friends, and freezer full of salsa and zucchini. On the ninth day of Christmas, my community garden gave to me, nine jars of honey, eight pot-luck dinners, seven angry hornets, six yards of compost, FIVE LEAKY HOSES!, four seasons of kale, three life-long friends, two green beans, and a freezer full of salsa and zucchini. On the tenth day of Christmas, my community garden gave to me, ten days above one hundred, nine jars of honey, eight pot-luck dinners, seven angry hornets, six yards of compost, FIVE LEAKY HOSES!, four seasons of kale, three life-long friends, two green beans, and a freezer full of salsa and zucchini. On the eleventh day of Christmas, my community garden gave to me, eleven kinds of basil, ten days above one hundred, nine jars of honey, eight pot-luck dinners, seven angry hornets, six yards of compost, FIVE LEAKY HOSES!, four seasons of kale, three life-long friends, two green beans, and a freezer full of salsa and zucchini. On the twelfth day of Christmas, my community garden gave to me, twelve (hundred) pounds of donated produce, eleven kinds of basil, ten days above one hundred, nine jars of honey, eight pot-luck dinners, seven angry hornets, six yards of compost, FIVE LEAKY HOSES!, four seasons of kale, three life-long friends, two green beans, and a freezer full of salsa and zucchini. "  Written by Brien Darby, with many thanks to her fabulous community gardeners at the Denver Botanic Gardens. ACGA Conference Feedback-Scholarship Report
Carla Garfield
Scholarship Report
ACGA Conference 2013
It was my very great pleasure to be able to attend the Conference this year, thanks to ACGA’s generosity. The venue was lovely and convenient, and there were a great many garden sites to see. The food throughout was exceptionally good – can’t say that about too many conferences! I came to the conference this year wearing three hats: • Co-founder and steering committee member of the largest community garden in Pittsburgh, in its second year of existence
• Co-founder and steering committee member of our school garden, which is open to the community, also it its second year
• Co-founder and steering committee member of a Pittsburgh area public greening/beautification committee Attending this conference gave me access to people, resources, ideas, and information that will help me greatly in my roles in each of these groups – in fact, they already have. The first session I attended, Community Through the Hive by Bob Redmond, Proprietor, Urban Bee Company along with Bats are a Garden's (and gardeners) Best Friend by Heidi Richter, Volunteer, Bats Northwest was very helpful, as both of the gardens I work with are trying to attract bees and bats. Thanks to this workshop, I now have the knowledge and access to resources to bring this to fruition. I picked up ideas about how to incorporate art and music into our gardens in the next session. Gardening for Wildlife was especially helpful for my school garden – we’re nearly ready to apply for certification. On Saturday, I got some help with how to keep our school garden going over the summer, which is a real issue for us, at Bridge Over Summer-Keeping School Gardens Thriving with Zsofia Pasztor, President, Farmer Frog, and Schoolyard Habitats. I chose the Children’s Gardens tour on Saturday and that turned out to be the perfect choice, as I hoped it would. I was particularly impressed with the school that created raised beds on asphalt, the community garden created for disabled children, and the garden created expressly for middle schoolers (the level I teach). It was especially helpful that in nearly all of these gardens, someone from the garden was on hand to answer our many questions and share resources. On Sunday, I learned about how to attract and keep volunteers, which is a struggle for both of my gardens, via Strategies for Creating and Managing a Successful Volunteer Program
Brien Darby, Horticulturist, Denver Botanical Gardens. After the conference, Brien sent each of us a link to her power point presentation, which is, and will continue to be, very helpful.
Somewhere along the way, I also sat in on a session about rooftop gardening which was also helpful, given that I have a rooftop garden on my home. I also attended a session on books for school children about gardening – I’ve already ordered several for our school library. This Conference was very well planned, with something for everyone. Everything I hoped to learn about or see, I was able to access, including new friendships with people with similar garden experiences. I was able to put some of my new skills and knowledge into effect immediately and will continue to be able to do so for years to come. Thank you so much for making this opportunity possible for myself and so many other eager gardeners. Sincerely,
Carla Garfield
Year End Giving
As 2013 and its harvest come to an end, I would like to remind you to include ACGA in your plans for End-of-Year Giving. As we enter our 35th Anniversary year, it is important to remember that your contributions, above and beyond membership, give us the capacity to make gardens grow across the continent.
Our 2012-2013 Annual Report summarized our major achievements, and it can be accessed online at the ACGA website or by clicking here. I would like to highlight a few of these achievements to show you why your contributions are critical to maintaining our capacity and momentum in 2014. - New Insurance Program for Community Gardens. This past spring, Brunswick Insurance Company and ACGA launched an insurance program specifically designed for community gardens. Now, ACGA members can protect themselves and their gardens by purchasing insurance coverage, and they can use this program to help assuage any local concerns about issues of liability.
- Growing Outreach. ACGA reached over 45,000 individual people through its exhibitions, lectures, classes, and programming in the last year. Hundreds participated in ACGA’s monthly “Expert Panels” conference calls, and thousands subscribed to ACGA’s monthly e-newsletter and visited our website. Additionally, over the last three years more and more gardens have been joining ACGA, which now has over 500 member gardens that represent over 10,000 individual gardeners; over 140 of those member gardens joined this year!
- Fiscal Stewardship. ACGA maintained its commitment to provide excellent membership service, and it has significantly reduced administrative expenses. ACGA also helped community gardens across the continent complete major projects by distributing $46,000 in grants to 20 gardens.
- Increased Accessibility. In order to enhance our presence online and better serve our membership, we are launching a redesigned website with a new, more sophisticated garden database to map out community gardens from coast to coast. We will be accessible anytime, anywhere from your computer, smart phone, and your tablet. The website will be live in January and we are excited to share it with you!
And that’s just the start of it! The ACGA Board is also working on revamping the Growing Communities Workshops, investigating accreditation for our workshops, bringing training to more gardens across the US and Canada, and many other projects. Our mission is to build community by increasing and enhancing community gardening and greening across the United States and Canada, and we would not be able to achieve this goal without your continued membership and contributions. Thank you in advance for your generosity. Your support helps grow a more bountiful harvest in 2014.
Sincerely,
Bobby Wilson
President of the Board of Directors To Donate to ACGA click here to download a form. To donate online go to http://www.communitygarden.org/support-us/index.php. ACGA Past Board Member Running for Mayor
 ACGA past Board Member, Amanda Edmonds is running for Mayor in Ypsilanti, Michigan. We would like to send Amanda our good will and support for the campaign! To find out more go to http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2013/11/growing_hope_executive_directo.html.
ACGA Annual Report
ACGA has been busy this year, spreading the word and resources for community gardens! Check out our annual report here. Garden Mosaics-Call for Feedback
ACGA and the University of South Florida are seeking funds to update the Garden Mosaics curriculum that was developed by Cornell University and currently hosted by ACGA. We want to identify programs who are using Garden Mosaics materials. Please email Sara Garrett at sgar...@communitygarden.org and let us know how you are using Garden Mosaics.
ACGA 35th Anniversary Conference-Chicago Call for presentation proposals coming soon! Keep an eye on our website! 
ACGA is Pleased to Announce Insurance for Community Gardens! The American Community Gardening Association is proud to announce the launch of ACGA’s exclusive Community Garden Insurance Program. Gardens of all sizes can now be properly protected against unforeseen accidents and liability. Our partner, Brunswick Companies, has created a simple and affordable solution to liability insurance for our members.
Policy highlights include: - Liability ranging from $100,000 to $1 Million Dollars
 - Directors and Officers Liability - Package Optional
- Equipment Breakdown Coverage Available
- Annual Premium as Low as $350
- Interest Free Payment Plans
- A+++ Carrier
The process is simple and only available to ACGA membership.
Simply visit http://brunswickcompanies.com/ci-community-garden-insurance.html and complete the easy online application.
Support ACGA This Year
As we plan our spring gardens and follow up with new friends and old that we met through community gardening, now is a great time to find ways to support the ACGA in 2013!
- Join ACGA or renew your membership
- Tell a friend about ACGA
- Invite fellow gardeners to join ACGA
- Participate in an Experts Panel
- Make a donation to support the work of ACGA
- Attend the ACGA Conference
Click on http://communitygarden.org/support-us/ to learn more
Shop through the Social Good Network while supporting ACGA
Altruette 14k Gold Watering Can Charm
Events
For a listing of community garden and related events, click here!
Funding Opportunities
For a listing of potential funding opportunities for community gardens and related projects, click here! | Quick Links Keep an eye out for our new website, coming January 2014! Upcoming Growing Communities Workshops
Encino, California Details TBA For information,
contact in...@communitygarden.org To learn more about the workshop or how to host one in your community, click here
Remember ACGA this Holiday Season! Support Us and Give the Gift of ACGA
Policy Committee Openings! Justin Garrett Moore, one of our board members in New York, is looking for members for his Policy Committee. If you are a member of ACGA and want to become more involved in our operations, please email us at in...@communitygarden.org, or call us at 877-ASK-ACGA. If you are not a member and would like to join ACGA, sign up here.
Want to join ACGA? Check out our new membership tier!
Interested in an ACGA Lifetime Membership?
Click here for details!
Have something you want to share with our enews list? Email your articles and photos to in...@communitygarden.org. Space and content permitting, we would love to share the voice of our readers!
Partnerships/Supporters: Gardener‘s Supply Company: Nonprofit gardeners may call our Commercial Accounts number: 888-511-2132 for up to 25% discount on orders.
GoodSearch: Here is how you can help:
◦Use GoodSearch when you search the internet – they will donate a penny to us every time you do.
◦Use GoodShop when you shop online
◦Enroll in the GoodDining, they will donate up to 6% of every dollar you spend
Kroger Community Rewards: Kroger is committed to helping our communities grow and prosper. If you live in Ohio, Michigan or West Virginia, please register online. ACGA’s organization number is 80844.
Peaceful Valley Farm & Garden Supply: Peaceful Valley Farm Supply offers a 10% discount. A few items are exempt from this offer. To start your discount, please fax (530-272-4794) a copy of your ACGA membership card.
ARTichoke T-Shirt Company: ARTichoke will donate 10% of their profits to ACGA.
Robert Mondavi Wines
Yardmap
Tom's of Maine
Cornell Expanding Capacity in Environmental Education
Land Trust Alliance
US Fish and Wildlife Service
Ms. Meyers
Growing Power |
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