The Swellesley Report

Dear Friends,

Massachusetts Horticultural Society at Elm Bank has some wonderful year-round volunteer opportunities!

Recent budgetary changes have impacted MHS staffing.  We are turning to you, our dedicated team of volunteers, and asking for your help in carrying out numerous day-to-day tasks in support of various Elm Bank operations.  Your valuable time is very important now to allow MHS to continue offering adults and children the opportunity to experience, enjoy and learn about plants and the environment in the exquisite setting of Elm Bank.

We are currently in need of volunteers who are able to volunteer with a somewhat regular commitment of time to become involved in the following areas of MHS activities at Elm Bank:

Front Desk Staff - provide general information in person and by telephone from the MHS Educational Building.
Flora Gift and Garden Shop Staff - sales and shop keeping assistance in our gift shop, especially as we prepare for the holiday season.
Accounting Department - assist with accounting related clerical duties as we prepare reports, duties include filing or working with spreadsheets.
Functions at MHS - assist the rental function department with scheduling and planning for special occasions held at Elm Bank.  Please reply via phone (617) 933-4921 or email functions@masshort.org, and let us know which type of volunteer position you are interested in filling.  General hours of duty are 10am to 2pm, Monday - Friday.  Please be sure to include your telephone number in your voice mail / reply, and which days are best for you during the week.

Thank you for your past service, letters and gifts.  Your individual service and dedication are a huge contribution in our effort to continue our most fundamental programs including horticultural education, Master Gardeners and the Flower Show.

We look forward to hearing from you soon and welcoming you back to Elm Bank!
And I look forward to meeting you!

Most sincerely yours,

Nancy Sitta
Functions and Volunteers Coordinator
(617) 933-4921
functions@masshort.org

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Mass Horticultural Society, which has headquarters in Wellesley, is scrambling to solve its financial challenges and the Globe has the latest roundup of the blame game that’s going on. The board points to overspending under a recent executive director’s tenure, while he points out that the board approved any spending.  Meanwhile, attempts have also been made to rope the Attorney General’s office into the mess. Also up in the air is the society’s annual spring flower show, which appears possibly headed for a big downsizing, though one thought is that it could take place at Elm Bank Reservation instead of in Boston next ime around. There’s also still talk of charging people to check out the flower gardens at Elm Bank, something that society officials have been considering for years (in fact, that was part of the reason it put up that black metal fence a couple of years back).

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As reported in the Swellesley Report early this month, the Mass Horticultural Society based in Wellesley has been hurting more than ever financially, with several of the outfit’s usual programs being axed or potentially revised. More details have emerged on the situation this week in the MetroWest Daily News and now the Boston Globe, on Page 1 of the newspaper today.

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A worker at Mass Hort’s Flora shop at Elm Bank reservation tells one of our readers that the shop isn’t long for this world in light of funding issues at the gardening society. In fact, it sounds like Chapter 11 could be in the offing for Mass Hort, which issued an SOS recently in an effort to raise funds. Mass Hort’s Board of Trustees has yet to respond to our inquiry.

Tags: Mass Hort, Uncategorized by bbrown
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Antiques at Elm Bank Estate takes place this weekend at Elm Bank Reservation on Rte. 16 near the Wellesley/Natick line. 9am-5pm Saturday, 10am-4pm Sunday. Also check out the Manor House. More info here, including discount coupons.

Tags: Mass Hort, antiques by bbrown
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We recently offered up our blooming gardens as a possible painter’s delight to Mass Hort for its Paint! Plein Air Painting event planned for September, but sadly, we were told recent job cutbacks wouldn’t allow the group to support the event this fall. In the past, painters have plopped down around Elm Bank Reservation and painted landscapes out in the open, then auctioned off the paintings at a gala affair.

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