Garden club focuses on youth education with grants

By Dana Kampa
| 10:15 a.m. April 29, 2025

Longboat Key
Neighbors

Dreamer's Academy has a new dream for inspiring youngsters to learn about nature, and with a little magic from the Longboat Key Garden Club, it should soon become a reality.

The club has supported environmentally minded community projects for years with its annual grant and scholarship awards. It has continued to do so, and even added new projects like the creation of a butterfly garden for students at the academy to enjoy.

The club gave out the awards on Arbor Day at Longboat Key Chapel, presenting $35,750 to area schools and educational groups. Members also awarded student Annie Camille Haut a $15,000 scholarship to finish out her senior year at the University of Florida, studying biotechnology and sustainability.

President Melanie Dale welcomed attendees by acknowledging the challenges of the past year, but also sharing her excitement for the rebuilding projects to come.

Grant awardees include Ballard Elementary School ($2,000), Cortez Village Historical Society ($1,600), Dreamer's Academy ($1,200), Friends of the Florida Maritime Museum ($700), Longboat Key Turtle Watch ($3,000), Marie Selby Botanical Gardens ($7,000), Mote Marine Laboratory, Inc. ($6,250), Save Our Seabirds ($10,000), St. Martha Catholic School ($2,000), and Southside Elementary School Green Team ($2,000).

Chris Parker, who helps coordinate Mote's summer scholarships, reassured members "our future is secure."

"These children want to be astronauts, teachers, marine biologists, doctors, nurses, everything," she said. "We just give them a little push to learn, and to make that experience fun."

The club also reviewed its finances as of April 20, noting a more than $20,500 net income from Taste and Tunes of the Keys this year.

Outgoing treasurer Jennifer Shimek said between the club's event fundraising and community donations, it would end the fiscal year with about $87,000.

Members also voted on this year's officers, returning Dale as president for another term. Joining her are Susan Phillips as first vice president, Sharon Meier as second vice president, Chris Parker as third vice president, Cathy Bishop as treasurer, Nicholle McKiernan as recording secretary, and Susan Loprete as corresponding secretary.

Recipients of this year's grants from the Longboat Key Garden Club shared stories of how the funds will bolster their environmental educational efforts.

Mari Jo Hanson, principal at St. Martha Catholic School, explains how the school garden teaches students science hands-on and motivates them to eat more vegetables.

Jessica Tessier and Michelle Bernhardt from Dreamer's Academy take home flowers from the Arbor Day event.

Save Our Seabirds Executive Director Brian Walton shares how a $10,000 grant from the Longboat Key Garden Club will help with building new bird aviaries, complete with indigenous plants.

Walter Gilbert, vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, speaks to how the grant funding will support education on sailing and summer camp scholarships.

Nicole Rhody from Mote Marine Laboratory explains how it will use the grant funding to promote aquaponics projects for kids and five needs-based scholarships for summer camp studies of marine science.

Longboat Key Garden Club President Melanie Dale starts a new term after getting re-elected on Arbor Day.

Debbi Wilson, Carol Peschel and Polly Stark join the Arbor Day festivities.

Melanie DeCarlo, Diane Blake, Debbi Wilson and Linda Ulrich share their excitement for the new projects to come from the grant funding.

author

Dana Kampa

Dana Kampa is the Longboat Key neighbors reporter for the Observer. She first ventured into journalism in her home state of Wisconsin, going on to report community stories everywhere from the snowy mountains of Washington State to the sunny shores of the Caribbean. She has been a writer and photographer for more than a decade, covering what matters most to readers.