Autumn Newsletter 2006 - Queens Botanical Garden

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IN MEMORIAMWith great fondness as well as sadness, we remembertwo members of QBG’s family who passed away inrecent months.A former board chair and president, Muriel M.Weinstein was a vibrant member of a core group ofGarden leaders who generated support and provideddirection for the fledgling institution when it opened inits new home on Main Street in 1963. Her involvementbegan as a committeemember for theChrysanthemum Balls(the precursor to today’sRose Ball), followed bylong-standing membershipon the board of trustees,and several turns as galaMuriel Weinstein dons ahard hat for the EducationBuilding groundbreakingin 1984.co-chair and chair. Shecontinued to be a guidingforce through the mid1980s, overseeing thegroundbreaking of the Charles G. Meyer EducationBuilding in 1984, the first and only new building tobe erected at QBG until recently.Her president’s message, written that year for the 34thannual Chrysanthemum Ball, resonates today: “Forover 22 years, year after year, as season followed season,I have watched the growth of our beautiful Garden,the changing moods of our floral displays, the shiftsin terrain, the stately formal front beds, the emergingof our Backyard Gardens, the Children’s and SeniorGardens, the magnificent wonder of our WeddingGarden, and the varied herb experimental and otherventures. As our staff labored in the vineyards, as manyof our colleagues worked in our fund-raising activities,our Garden grew and grew. It is the center and the hubof many functions; yet it is still a lovely oasis of peaceand quiet in the midst of an active urban community.”QBG honored her and her husband, Judge MosesWeinstein, at the 1998 Rose Ball, which celebratedthe 50th Anniversary of the Garden’s opening.Because Rita Soares Fernandes said “yes,” more thingswere possible at QBG. A member of the Visitor Servicesstaff from 1997 to 2005, Rita welcomed thousands ofvisitors to the Garden each Sunday. She oversawweddings and receptions, photography bookings, thegarden greeters and junior weekend staff, and assistedwith public programs. The former Flushing residentgreatly enjoyed working with the public, and consideredher Garden responsibilities a perfect complement to herjob as a NYC public school teacher. Rita, who held severalmaster’s degrees, regularly imparted her love of learningto her small charges, whom she adored, and shared herenthusiasm for life and for new things with us all.INTRODUCING QBG’S GREEN TEENSIf you visited the Garden this past summer, you may have noticed a flurry of activityand enthusiasm among the staff – and many new faces! The Garden’s new internshipprogram for high school students attracted a crop of twenty-three bright and eagerteens who helped out in nearly every department. Wearing their bright greenT-shirts, they assisted youngsters in the HSBC Children’s Garden, eradicated weedsin the Cherry Circle, wrote press releases, and helped staff with projects in finance,human resources, and cultural research.The QBG High School Internship Program, renamed the QBG Green Teen Program,has finished its inaugural summer thanks to generous grants from the AltmanFoundation and The Pinkerton Foundation, as well as support from HSBC in theCommunity (USA) Inc. The Garden’s interns also received funding through LEARN,a program of the New York City Department of Education, and through TheAfterschool Corporation(TASC) and the AsociacionCultural Beneficia de FatherBillini in Corona, bothpart of the City’s SummerYouth EmploymentProgram. These grantsand partnerships enabledthe Garden to expand theinternship program beyondthe Children’s Garden to alldepartments, with weeklyworkshops to developprofessional skills and help promote “green”-collar career exploration, as well as fosterenvironmental stewardship and cultural appreciation among the teens.From an intense three-day orientation, field trips to the New York Hall of Scienceand Solar 1, and weekly meetings, this summer was a busy one for the interns, whohailed from all parts of the borough. In addition to gaining professional experience,the interns developed an array of environmental advocacy skills thatthey could bring back to their schools in September.The eight-week program culminated on August 24 with an Intern Celebration, anevent planned entirely by the teens, which helped them to develop their nonprofitevent-planning skills.The 2006 QBG Green TeenProgram participants were:Rabia Alam and NikkiRamroop (horticulture);Weberlange Exilus(marketing); GiovannaOrama (capital projects);Christina Cephus, AnnyCosta, Tatiana Coy, ShanteDickson, Rabiya Hass,William Jablonski, Wing YiKung, Vasantie Naraine,Arriana Prendergast, Melanie Romano, Inbar Sharon, and Maryam Wardak(Children’s Garden); Eliana Paradis (finance); Andrea Rodriguez (education); IssaDuncan and Barbara Paradis (administration); Jennifer Choi (earned income);Tiffany Cheng (cultural research); and Lisa He (compost).Jeannemarie Hendershot is QBG’s internship coordinator.give the walls a unique, visible texture. 8: Work begins on the Parking Garden, a beautiful new gateway to QBGthat also helps manage the stormwater that falls on the site. 7: The Visitor & Administration Building’s
STAFF NEWSQBG offers a warm welcome to Constance Comer,who recently joined our finance department. Conniecomes to the Garden after having worked for theUnited Nations Federal Credit Union for the past 13years. She will be responsible for preparing payroll andgeneral accounting functions including assistance withthe annual audit and budget. The balance of her timewill be with human resources.Jaymie Sharabi has joined QBG as a horticultureintern, funded in part by The Mushroom Trust andthe Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust. Jaymie, whoworked with QBG’s horticulture staff in 1999, hasgained well-rounded experience at public gardensaround NYC. In her own words: “Every early morningwhen I enter the grounds of QBG I am grateful. I havebeen given the responsibility, yes the honor, of workingand tending a piece of the Earth.”A seasonal assistant gardener, Gabriel Forestieri,joined the horticulture staff this summer. Gabriel hasextensive horticulture and gardening experience, mostrecently in California, and is also a professional dancer.After more than two decades of dedicated service to QBG,Eduardo Questell retired from the horticulture/groundsdepartment on May 1. Staff send a big thank-you toEduardo, who is enjoying retirement in Puerto Rico.Gardener Joan Boriqua earned her CommercialPesticide Technician License from the State of NewYork’s Department of Environmental Conservation.Capital Projects assistant Max Joel has been awardeda Junior Fellowship from the United Way of NYC’sNonprofit Leadership Development Institute.Max also passed his LEED Accredited Professionalexam on July 17.Following their morning exercises on July 19, members ofQBG’s Tai Chi groups delighted Garden staff and board withcontributions totaling $8,675, the result of their mostsuccessful fund-raiser to date in support of the Garden’soperations. New York City Councilmember John Liu wasamong members of the community who turned out to markthe occasion.PLANT YOUR LEGACYWHERE IT WILL . . .PRODUCEYour gift or bequest willprovide funding for theGarden’s annual programs.ENDUREYour gift or bequest willhelp the Garden meetfuture needs.To learn more about QBG’s Charitable Gift Annuityprogram and other giving opportunities, contactSusan Lacerte, executive director, at 718.886.3800,ext. 205.CORPORATEMEMBERS$15,000(a two-yearmembership)Altria Group, Inc.$5,000Goldman, Sachs& Co.NEWMEMBERS(February 9through August18, 2006)Alice BodnerTzy-Ching ChuMayrdale De BorNancy FahnestockJuoy FokManitha HegdePatriciaHendershotDouglas KnightEdward andKaren MitchellScott MurphyVasanthaRamanathanCatherine ReddRosanna Roizinand JamesGrahamPenny and RobertSchnitzerVipin ThakralRamesh VeluroWilliam Martin, director ofcommunity affairs atVerizon, learns about thelatest plant mappingequipment from gardenerJoan Boriqua and culturalresearch volunteer ShelbySemmes (r.). VerizonFoundation has been alongtime supporter oftechnology initiatives atthe Garden.The arboricultural firm The Care of Trees contributed$10,000 in cash and services to QBG this past year.Welcoming president and CEO Scott Jamieson (r.) anddistrict manager Frank C. Buddingh’ to the Garden in Junewere horticulturist Marianne Kristoff, director of capitalprojects Jennifer Ward Souder, board chair Stefanie F.Handsman, and executive director Susan Lacerte.The internship was truly an experience I will never forget. All thetraining and work have done two things: help improve my workingskills and help me be a part of a beautiful living museum known asthe Queens Botanical Garden.Issa Duncan, QBG administration interngeothermal system is fully connected and tested. This system provides low energy heating and cooling and,combined with rooftop photovoltaic panels and overall efficient building design, helps the facility use over 30% less
Page 3: The Garden would like to acknowledg
Page 8 and 9: EDUCATION DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCES NEW
Page 10 and 11: Autumn Talks & WorkshopsSEEDS FOR S
Page 12: Nonprofit Org.U.S. Postage PaidPerm

Autumn Newsletter 2006 - Queens Botanical Garden

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