projects

PROJECTS 2023-2024

Year in Review 2023-2024
Every member of Tasker’s Chance Garden Club has devoted hours to make all of these efforts a success. In addition, the annual dues, paid by each member, contribute to our ability to give back to the Frederick community. Our annual fundraiser and our annual membership dues make possible to continually give back to our Frederick community in a variety of ways.

Arbor Day
Frederick’s 44th Tree City USA Arbor Day Celebration was held April 26, 2024 at the amphitheater of the South Frederick Arboretum of Frederick County Public Schools' Earth and Space Science Lab. The occasion also marked the 20th Anniversary of the establishment and planting of the Arboretum. 100% club support, 30% club participation.

Beyond the Garden Gates Tour
In May, it was Tasker’s Chance turn to co-host the Beyond the Garden Gate Tour sponsored by Celebrate Frederick. We invited eight homeowners in Frederick to participate in the tour, and they graciously opened their private gardens to the public for the May weekend. We also invited the participation of three public gardens. The club provided Garden Captains and Docents for the garden tours. Tickets for the tours sold out, and despite a less than ideal weekend weather wise, the tours were a great success. 95% Club participation.

Christmas Greens Sales
The club’s fund raiser focuses on the holiday tradition of boxwood trees, In 2023 sales of decorated and undecorated boxwood trees totaled 63, with a net profit of just over $3700. The membership assemble ornaments and trees to fulfill orders for table sized trees 95% club participation

Exhibition Committee
The Club staged an In House Small Standard Flower Show on October 9, 2023 at The Lodge at Homewood in Frederick. It was a very successful show with over 55 horticultural entries and 12 design entries. The Club earned a FGCMD Certificate of Recognition which was presented to us at the March Annual District V meeting. Our club also contributed to the table arrangements at the annual and semi-annual District V meetings. 90% club participation

Faith House
We continue to partner with The Garden Club of Frederick to complete a Fall clean up and decorations for the seasons at the grounds of the Faith House on North Market Street, a shelter for homeless women and their children. We also decorated for the Christmas holidays and in the spring we planted a vegetable garden and added annuals for the residents’ enjoyment. 100% club participation

Flowers Over Frederick
We make a substantial donation to the Flowers Over Frederick and Downtown Partnership to help provide sixty hanging baskets that beautify the streets of the city. Members also help to assemble the baskets for the winter holiday season. 100% club support, 15% participation

Frederick Candlelight House Tour
Early December is always a busy time for Tasker’s Chance with our annual boxwood tree fundraiser. With the post pandemic return of Celebrate Frederick’s major fundraiser, the Candlelight House Tour, 2023 was even busier. One of our members graciously opened her historic home for the tour, and our members were elves who planned and decked the home inside and out. The decorations were a traditional combination of live greenery with a green, red and white theme. The tree decorations were antique ornaments from our member’s mother and grandmother. Our members were docents for the tour of this historic home. 100% support, 95% participation

Garden Therapy
We continue to support our Frederick seniors through our Garden Therapy project. Programs will be held at the Taney Senior Center 2024 - 2025 in November, December, March, and May. The first being November 21st at 1.00 PM for “Food and Flowers “. The second on December 11th at 10:00 AM for “A Crafty Morning “. March and May dates are to be determined. All activities are conducted at the center. Seniors will need to sign up to participate in the programs. 100% support, 20% club participation

Maryland State House Holiday Display
Maryland’s First Lady has invited the Federated Garden Clubs of Maryland to participate in decking the Main Hall of the Maryland State House with holiday trees or wreaths that are decorated to represent the clubs’ respective counties and jurisdictions. For 2023, Tasker’s Chance once again joined Green-walled Garden Club and The Garden Club of Frderick to craft decorations and created a tree that celebrated Frederick County’s German Heritage. Putz Houses, traditional German decorations, rosettes, and tussey musseys were crafted out of recycled and repurposed items such as sheet music and corrugated cardboard, even glitter. This tradition and activity is to continue for the 2024 Holiday Season. 100% support, 25% participation.

National Garden Week
Benefits of Trees, an initiative of Tasker’s Chance in collaboration with Green-walled Gardenclub and The Garden Club of Frederick, continued in 2023-2024 with the revitalization and restoration of the South Frederick Arboretum at the Frederick County Public Schools Earth and Space Science Lab. Eight native trees were planted in the fall, 69 arboretum tree tags were purchased and installed, a new updated map of the arboretum and a new welcome narrative was written and were installed in the entry pavilion, and the grand American elm in the arboretum was officially designated as one of Maryland’s Big Trees. Funding was provided in part by the three garden clubs, the award of a grant from the Maryland Urban and Community Forest Committee, and the Alice Rush McKeon Tree Planting Fund. We are grateful for the help of the Department of Natural Resources Forest Service and Frederick County Forest Conservancy District Board. 100% support, 25% participation.

Skaters’ Shelter
We are continuing to work with the city of Frederick and the Friends of Baker Park to maintain the plantings around the Skaters’ Shelter. This year the Skaters’ Shelter received a facelift with new lanterns and new plantings around the Blue Star Memorial. 100% club participation

Trips
A day trip to Glenstone Museum and grounds in Potomac, MD, was planned for June 20 but due to a major heat wave that week, it was decided to postpone the visit to Glenstone. A possible overnight visit to Longwood Gardens to see the Chrysanthemum display this November is being planned.

Additional Workshops/Projects
Tasker’s Chance continues to support many projects
sponsored by various organizations. We look forward to new
and challenging projects. We have made or will make the
following donations in the past year and the current year:

Natural Disaster Project USA (FGCMD) $200
Art in Bloom $250
Flowers Over Frederick $600
Penny Pines (FGCMD) $68
Skaters Shelter $1,409
Faith House $350
Senior Center $518
National Garden Week $250
Arbor Day $200
Benefits of Trees $331
McKeon Tree Planting $75