The Coeur d'Alene Garden Club awarded $13,600 to local organizations during a check presentation Tuesday at the Coeur d'Alene Public Library.

The funds come from the club's annual Garden Tour, a popular summer event that invites gardening enthusiasts of every spot and stripe to enjoy the creativity and work of local green thumbs.

"I want to start off by thanking the garden owners for sharing their beautiful gardens, the generosity of our sponsors and the 70-plus volunteers that made the 2024 Garden Club Tour a success," Garden Tour Chair Judy Feldner said.

In the Hayden Meadows Elementary School Greenhouse, students harvested squash, tomatoes, beans and more to share with the local senior center and food bank earlier this month.

Hayden Meadows and its greenhouse program have been combining education and philanthropy for years, but some of the season's first seeds are planted by the Coeur d'Alene Garden Club, which has provided support for the program for several years.

Hayden Meadows art teacher Vern Harvey, who oversees the school's greenhouse, said it's an honor to have received Garden Club support for so many years. Not only does the support connect students to a functioning symbol of the school, but it connects them to the community, he said.

"With the Garden Club’s support, all of our students at Hayden Meadows get a taste of gardening with dirty hands," Harvey told The Press. "It’s a break from the academic routine, a type of sanctuary which more than likely students will remember rather than those math lessons.

The greenhouse and the school's charity gardens are a cornerstone of students’ education at Hayden Meadows, Harvey said.

"Once again, the Garden Club’s support helps us go above and beyond just planting a seed in a paper cup," he said. "Thank you so very much Coeur d’Alene Garden Club for all of your support.”

Lake City High School's new greenhouse, which is part of its outdoor studies program, was also a recipient of 2024 Garden Tour funds. History teacher Eric Edmonds said the greenhouse is used by his students as well as English and environmental science students.

"We all teach those classes with a focus on the outdoors," he said. "All three of us use the garden in different ways."

Garden Club funds will help buy fall bulbs, grow lights and spring starts for the Lake City greenhouse.

Edmonds said many students have never turned shovels or grown anything from seed.

"We're so grateful to the club for the donation," Edmonds said. "The district doesn't have funds earmarked for gardening. It's not in the curriculum, so we depend on donations."

Other 2024 Garden Tour fund recipients are:
New Vision Alternative High School, Ramsey Magnet School of Science, Skyway Elementary, Lutheran Church of the Master Community Garden, Safety Net Inland Northwest, Turkeys and More and the North Idaho College Foundation.

Funds also went to the Garden Club Endowment as well as the Coeur d'Alene Garden Club's Project Committee that searches for special garden projects and senior living center garden projects and supports local schools with their existing and future garden programs.

    Representatives from local organizations gather Tuesday afternoon in the Community Room of the Coeur d'Alene Public Library to accept donations from the Coeur d'Alene Garden Club, which distributed $13,600 raised during the 2024 Garden Tour in July. Back row, from left: Kristen Neeser, Mayte Eriksson, Kaelynn Woodward, Melanie Droesch, Eric Edmonds, Christie Masters and Wynn Clarke. Front row, from left: Megan Beaudry and Mandi Ferguson.

    Jessica Osborne's first grade students at Hayden Meadows show off greenhouse produce during a group photo Oct. 2.