Community Involvement
College Scholarships
Each year the Dexter Garden Club awards college scholarships to Dexter High School seniors who plan to major in a field that is related to horticulture, agriculture, or the environment. Winners have majored in fields such as plant biology, environmental engineering, conservation, and agribusiness. Applications are available in the high school counselor's office in the spring.
2018 winner Andrew Golini was awarded his scholarship at the DHS Honors Convocation by Garden Club member Joan Lansdell.
Green Thumbs Preschool Program
Members of the Dexter Garden Club conduct a monthly program at Jenkins Early Childhood Center in Dexter. Using hands-on activities, the program introduces 4 and 5-year-olds to the importance of plants in our environment and what is required to grow them. The 2019 Green Thumbs graduating class is pictured here.
Community Grants
The Dexter Garden Club awards grants to organizations that are involved in horticultural education or therapy and to organizations that undertake horticultural projects that benefit the community. In 2020 a grant was given to the Dexter Senior Center to have the yard behind the building mowed to provide a place for the seniors to meet outdoors. Other grants have supported a garden at the juvenile detention facility in Ann Arbor and a community garden that grows produce that is donated to a food bank. The grant application is available on the Resources page.
Library Donations
Each year the Dexter Garden Club pays for the Dexter Library's subscriptions to gardening and horticultural magazines as well as several gardening and horticultural books. The library and the club are always open to suggestions for new books that could be purchased for the library.
Gardens in Dexter
Dexter Garden Club members plant and maintain three gardens in the City of Dexter - the clocktower garden, the flagpole garden in Monument Park, and the garden at the entrance to the library. Members also decorate the clocktower garden in fall and winter.
Dexter Green Day and Plant Sale
Members of the Dexter Garden Club work throughout the year to organize Dexter Green Day and Plant Sale. This event has been held annually for over 20 years. It provides an opportunity for members of the community to interact with organizations that support horticulture in the area. Funds raised at this event are used to support the projects described here as well as for the education of club members and community members.