Attention all gardeners and gardening lovers: The annual Colorado Garden & Home Show arrives at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver Feb. 11-19.
Think, Act Locally.
So, why the blatant advertisement for the show as a lead sentence of this blog post? Well, simply put, buying a ticket to the show is a great way for every Colorado garden lover and homeowner to think and act locally in a very positive way. The majority of the vendors are local companies. For those who are friends of Front Range Community College, it is a great way for you to help support students in one of Front Range’s signature programs – Horticulture and Landscape Design.
Ticket Sales Support Front Range Horticulture and Landscape Design Students.
Few attendees realize that every year for the past several years the Colorado Garden & Home Show’s parent non-profit, Colorado Garden Show, Inc., has returned 100 percent of its ticket sales to communities and students across Colorado in the form of grants and scholarships to support local horticultural endeavors and students enrolled in horticulture or a related science at Front Range and Colorado State University.
For Front Range’s horticulture program, this has meant more than $33,000 of support in the past five years, including the purchase of the materials for a student-built arbor that is the centerpiece of a growing hands-on landscape lab area for students at the Larimer Campus.
Scholarships for Horticulture and Landscape Design Students.
The bulk of the support, though, has gone directly to students pursuing their dreams at Front Range. This support includes several scholarships that will pay a portion of a student’s expenses and, the annual awarding of at least two 1-year scholarships that pay for a student to attend FRCC full time for a year and study horticulture and landscape design.
To borrow a phrase, I see this as win-win for everyone involved. You and your family will get to enjoy some great gardens and the scent of fresh flowers in February, connect with local businesses, and do a lot of good for your community.
Just think, your $12 ticket ($10 if you buy it at King Soopers in advance) may help plant a tree in your community and train the person who will care for it. Now that is acting locally and sustainably.
What’s your best memory of Colorado Garden & Home shows you’ve attended?
