The 87th Annual Convention of the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs, Inc., “A Toast to the Coast’” was held at the Sanibel Harbour Resort in Fort Myers from April 28th through April 30th. Naples Garden Club was well represented by Gail Pica, Carol Conant, Catherine Ware and Kathleen Hawryluk who served as delegates. Mary Raymond and Raynelle Perkins also attended. Sondra Quinn and Linda Brown attended the post convention luncheon on May 1st.
According to Carol Conant, this was one of, if not the very first time that our district, District IX hosted the annual event. District IX extends from Marco Island to Winter Park, Florida.
Much advance work was required from our members to make the convention a success. Carol believes that the attendance nearly doubled from the typical attendance. The turn out was remarkable with a total attendance of 450.
Gail Pica, Invitational Design Chair, worked with a member from each District. Each district representative created a floral tribute for each member of the outgoing board. Roberta Ross created an exquisite design to honor Berne Davis, a special honoree and well known philanthropist from Fort Myers.
The Florida Federation of Garden Clubs was organized on April 14, 1924 and federated on April 15, 1925. The mission statement of the Federation is “to further the education of the members and the public in the fields of gardening, horticulture, botany, floral design, landscape design, environmental awareness through the conservation of natural resources, civic beautification, nature studies, and to instill in our youth the love of gardening and the respect and protection of the environment.”