By Sarah Richardson
For the year 2023, the City of Lewisburg has named local gardening and beautification clubs as the Volunteers of the Year. The groups were acknowledged at the Shanghai Parade on Jan 1, and carried the Volunteer of the Year signs for the event. Each year, Lewisburg chooses a volunteer or volunteers who “actively volunteer their time and effort in our community, especially in times of need” and who often receive little recognition for their service.
A proclamation signed by Mayor Beverly White states: “The City of Lewisburg wishes to thank the Bluebell Garden Club, The Greenbrier Gardeners, the Lewisburg House and Garden Club, the Savannah Garden Club, the Lewisburg Foundation, the Lewisburg in Bloom Committee, and the WVU Master Gardeners of the Greenbrier Valley for their service in horticulture, conservation, their many projects including annual hanging baskets, planters, landscaped areas, tree plantings and civic improvement to the city and beyond.”
The proclamation also explains how in 2014, the Lewisburg in Bloom Committee was formed as a coalition to bring together the garden clubs, Lewisburg Foundation, the Lewisburg Downtown Merchants Association, the WVU Master Gardeners of the Greenbrier Valley, and citizens to work together for the betterment of the city and for the participation in the national America in Bloom competition.
It notes that all of the mentioned groups are non-profit volunteer organizations who seek knowledge in horticulture, conservation, flower arranging, historic preservation, and sharing ideas and programs with the community.
