October 20, 2021

Leesburg Garden Club Awards Grant to Tuscarora High School – Environmental Science Department

 Leesburg, Va. -- The Leesburg Garden Club (LGC), a 501(c)3 organization proudly announces the award of grant funding to Tuscarora High School through the LGC Community Outreach Grant Program. The LGC established the grant program in 2017 when members of. the club saw a distinct need to provide project funding to Loudoun County non-profit 501(c)3 organizations who share in the expressed Mission of the LGC. That Mission states “The object of the Club shall be to promote active interest in gardening and to assist in the protection and development of the natural beauties of the State”.  It was the intent of the Club to select projects within Loudoun County either urban or rural which best reflect the furtherance of the Club’s Mission. Due to Covid-19 restrictions and school closures the awarding of funding was delayed in some cases.

As part of the 2019 Grant Program, Tuscarora High School was awarded a grant of $2000 on October 20, 2021. The funding will be used to improve an existing courtyard with a native plant installation, tree and shrub plantings, and installment of a Monarch Waystation. Students will use the outdoor classroom to learn about the benefits of native plants and the wildlife they support.

Two additional recipients of the 2019 Grant Funding were Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy (awarded in 2020) to complete the installation of a pollinator meadow and purchase interpretive signs, and Lucketts Elementary School (awarded in 2021) to fund the installation of a milkweed habitat, Monarch Waystation, weather station, and a vegetable garden.

The 2019 Grant Program was supported by a fundraiser at Selma Plantation and hosted by Sharon Virts and Scott Miller of Leesburg, VA. The Loudoun County Children’s Educational Fund Grant is an active participant with the LGC Grant Program which will again be accepting requests for grant proposals in 2022. Details to be determined.

Recipients of grant funding since the 2017 establishment of the program are Oatlands Plantation and the Leesburg Elementary School.  Oatlands required additional funding to complete the irrigation system within the 5-acre walled garden. Leesburg Elementary School was also awarded a grant to support its outdoor garden classroom.

Prior to the establishment of the grant program, the Club had, for 104 years, shouldered the cost of many projects in Leesburg and Loudoun County. The projects are cited as examples for their benefit to the community and conformance to the Mission.  In 2015, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the LGC, “The Native Tree Walk” was inaugurated. It is situated at the southwestern side of Ida Lee Park, accessible by foot, bicycle and wheel chair alike, and is a well-planned planting of native tree species. Each tree has an ID placard which gives an interactive description and the benefit of each tree. Planning the project and funding to purchase the signage and trees was provided by the LGC.

Other recent projects include tree plantings and purchase of a bench at the Douglass School and Community Center; planting of an embankment garden along Edwards Ferry Road outside of the George C. Marshall home; member-assisted gardening effort at Oatlands Plantation; and the purchase of daffodil bulbs for planting at entrances to the Town of Leesburg.

The above are examples but are not limited in nature to the types of future projects the LGC hopes to fund through its grant program. The Club will promote the availability of grants to local 501(c)3 non-profit organizations. To learn more about the Leesburg Garden Club please visit the website leesburggardenclub.org .