January 2017

Volume 1, Issue 1 Friends of the Arboretum

New Hanover County

DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE

We are looking forward to a productive year of

improvements to the Arboretum Display Garden in

2017. But, before we look at those, let’s revisit some

of the happenings of 2016.

The “bog garden” project humbled us for months as we

struggled with solutions to the soil’s poor internal

drainage. While it hasn’t been planted yet, there is no

longer a “swimming hole”. It has been filled and

outfitted with a pump station to remove the excess

water. New plantings, walkways and the re-purposing

of the stacked rock fountain that once occupied the

space between the Welcome Garden and the Native

Plant Garden are planned.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

4-H News .................................3

Fundraising One ......................4

Fundraising Two ......................5

Gift Shop ………………..…………..7

Announcements …...……………..7

Blooming Borders ....................8

SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST

New sign going up on

Bradley Drive in the new

year.

The FOA has added two new

fundraising tools to help

support the activities of the

Arboretum.

One project that had its beginnings in 2016 is the Bradley sign installation. We hit a couple

of speed bumps with it, but work has begun and should be completed by late January/early

February. The sign will be much more prominent which should encourage the use of the

Bradley Drive entrance. It consists of three columns with a stacked stone façade, black steel

fencing and a larger sign.

The new sign is the culmination of several years of efforts to make visiting the Arboretum

safer. Other components include the closing of the main parking lot entrance closest to

Greenville Loop Road, changing the other to right-turn only, the development of the Bradley

Drive entrance and paving of some of the gravel parking areas.

Speaking of safety concerns a ramp from the bus stop circular patio in front to the parking lot

will soon be a reality. Visitors arriving by bus have to walk through the shrub beds or make

their way to an entrance frequented by cars. The gently-sloping ramp tied to the circular

patio will be attractive and solve the access problem.

One of the most exciting projects for the new year is the Welcome Garden. One of our

wonderful Master Gardeners and Friend of the Arboretum has generously donated funds to

support the work. Local artist Andy Cobb has been commissioned to create a copper

pineapple sculpture that will be the centerpiece of the renovated garden. The paved surfaces

will be redesigned to better fit a formal garden and make the space more useful to our

visitors.

We plan to have Andy’s pineapple sculpture water feature in place just in time for the Master

Gardener Plant Sale in April. The balance of the garden will be completed as resources are

available.

There are some exciting staff changes coming, too. The long-vacant Family and Consumer

Science position in foods and nutrition will be filled in the next couple of months. We have

also been able to add additional hours for Amy Mead, our Volunteer Coordinator and soon for

Marianne Schroeder, our Plant Clinic Program Assistant. These positions are integral to our

success and we look forward to more involvement from both ladies and the benefit that will

bring to all!

Thanks for being a part of the Arboretum and Extension family and for supporting what we

do. Even though it’s the heart of winter, our spring isn’t far away.

- Al Hight

DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE CONTINUED

“Instead of making a New Year’s Resolution, I like to look at what I fill my calendar with.”

Focus Archery 4-H Club

Wilmington’s youth-only archery club meets on Sundays and is open to youth ages 9-18. Sheuna Battle, a recent UNCW grad

and collegiate archery club president, leads the club with enthusiasm. Safety is a top priority at every practice and our

leaders are certified shooting sports instructors.

Spur-It-On 4-H Horse Club

Come learn about horses and participate in educational

contests and shows throughout the year! Owning a horse is not a requirement. This club is open to youth in 4th-12th grade

and meetings every other Saturday in Rocky Point.

Teen Council

The New Hanover County 4-H Teen Council, AKA “teen council” for short, is a catalyst for students learning leadership and citizenship life skills. Members can run for county, district and

state offices, serve on committees and participate in community service projects. It’s the perfect place to build your

resume and prepare for life beyond school. The group meets

quarterly.

For a full list of 4-H clubs visit newhanover.ces.ncsu.edu.

Leslie Dill, 4-H Youth Development

4—H NEWS

Do You Belong to the

Clover?

Choosing a New Year's

Resolution is a popular activity this season. We all dream of

"being better" or "doing more" in the coming year. Instead of making a resolution, I like to

look at what I fill my calendar with. How we spend our days

is how we spend our lives. When I look back at the end of

the year, will I be happy with how I spent my time? Was it meaningful to my family? If

you have children, consider what activities will fill their

days. What classes,

clubs or sports will they

belong to? You may consider joining the friendly youth

organization with the green

clover. That's right, 4-H.

Being involved in 4-H provides

opportunities for youth to gain life skills, connect to their

community, and mature in responsibility. Kids develop lifelong friendships and

relationships with caring adults.

New Hanover County 4-H has 17

different club to choose from, or you can start your own. Most clubs are free or

have a small annual fee for

supplies.

“There are new ways for you to support the activities and programs of the Arboretum.”

The Friends of the Arboretum have recently added two new fundraising opportunities for all

interested parties to consider as they make plans for their charitable giving in year 2017 and beyond. Following is some information on these new programs. No heavy lifting

required. These are unique ways in which you can engage two nationally based companies

to share your treasure for the benefit of the Arboretum.

The first company is Amazon. It created a foundation, Amazon Smile, to support non-profit organizations in the U.S. The “Friends of the New Hanover County Arboretum, Inc.” has a

link that will take you directly to smile.amazon.com in support of the Arboretum. The second company is called One Hope Wine who donates a percentage of your wine purchase

to the Arboretum.

Use this link: https://smile.amazon.com/ch/56-1484952

What is AmazonSmile?

AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support your favorite charitable

organization every time you shop, at no cost t o you . When you shop a t smile.amazon.com, you’ll find the exact

same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as

Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to your favorite charitable

organization. You can choose from nearly

one million organizations to support.

How do I shop at AmazonSmile?

To shop at AmazonSmile simply go to

smile.amazon.com from the web browser on

your computer or mobile device. You may

also want to add a bookmark to

smile.amazon.com to make it even easier to

return and start your shopping at

AmazonSmile. Look for products marked

“Eligible for AmazonSmile Donation” on their

product detail page. Amazon donates 0.5%

of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile

purchases to the charitable organization of

your choice.

On your first visit to AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com), you need to select a

charitable organization to receive donations from eligible purchases before you begin

shopping. In your case, select “Friends of the New Hanover County Arboretum, Inc.” We will remember your selection, and

then every eligible purchase you make at

smile.amazon.com will result in a donation.

Here is a shortcut to our AmazonSmile:

https://smile.amazon.com/ch/56-1484952

FUNDRAISING—NEW PRODUCTS!

AMAZON SMILE

4

AMAZON SMILE CONT’D.

Can I receive a tax deduction for

amounts donated from my purchases on

AmazonSmile?

Donations are made by the AmazonSmile

Foundation and are not tax deductible by you.

Can I use my existing Amazon.com

account on AmazonSmile?

Yes, you use the same account on

Amazon.com and AmazonSmile. Your shopping cart, Wish List, wedding or baby registry, and other account settings are also

the same.

5

“Your shopping will support Friends of the New Hanover County Arboretum.”

ONE HOPE WINE

The second company is called One

Hope Wine. My wife was born on Christmas day. So this year for her

party I purchased a variety of wines offered by this company. They donated a percentage of the sale to

the Arboretum. It was a neat way to do something to support the efforts

of the Arboretum without expending much energy in terms of time, talent and treasure. By the way, the wine

was very good. Read the following overview about this company. For

any future parties or special celebrations you may hold, think about engaging One Hope Wine.

You’ll do the Arboretum a great deed.

The following information is from Jeff Goll, CEO of One Hope Wine:

Our mission is very unique as we give back every day to our local communities through

donating half of our corporate profits to 12 national causes annually. As a CEO of the company, I can also provide additional charity support for any non-profit organization with

a 501c(3) designation.

Through local events, wine tastings and catalogue purchases I can donate 15% of the event sales to the specified charity of choice designated by you. Our goal is to help support

the local non-profit organizations in raising the much-needed funds on an annual basis. ONEHOPE wines are produced in collaboration with winemaker Rob Mondavi, Jr. Our award-

winning portfolio consists of handcrafted blends sourced from Napa, Sonoma and the Central Coast of California. ONEHOPE Winery has been in partnership with the Mondavi

family for the last 9 years as we are both based in Napa Valley, CA. I look forward to helping you raise additional funds next year to ensure your organization

has the support it needs in our local community.

Happy New Year,

Jeff Goll

CEO, Cause Entrepreneur for OneHope

www.viaonehope.com/jeffgoll

H: 910-552-0119/ Cell: 516-639-1036

Cheers. Do good/WineNot#

6

7

GIFT SHOP NEWS

The Arboretum Gift Shop will start 2017 out with an Inventory Reduction Sale! Many

items will be reduced in price by 50 percent or more!! And current FOA members al-

ways get 10 percent off regularly priced merchandise.

We will need to be closed for inventory a couple of days. The exact dates are yet to be

determined, so check with the main office.

When we reopen, our new point of sale system will be in place. This will allow us to

provide you with more efficient service.

So, come shop with us! The shop is staffed by volunteers and the profits benefit the Arboretum and its programs.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Fundraising Reminder

For MGVA members who are still working and are interested in making a donation to the Arboretum in 2017 keep the following in mind. The company you work for may have a matching gift program. So, whether you want to make a donation yourself during the year,

or as gift to someone for their birthday, anniversary, special event or next Christmas, contact Roben Jarrett (798-7671) at the Arboretum office for more information on how to pursue this

option.

You can specify in your donation what program or garden you would like your donations to

go to.

Pavers Anyone?

If you are interested in honoring a special person in your life consider a paver. Check out the photo here. Order forms for

pavers are available in the Administration Building at the front desk. Pavers can be installed in the Tribute Garden or the

Contemplation Garden.

SPONSOR A BLOOMING BORDER & SHOW HOW MUCH YOU CARE

Honor the special people in your life for one full year with a Blooming Border. Each gift provides approximately 10 linear feet of vibrant seasonal flowers in the beautiful Arboretum gardens. A specially designed post will be on display recognizing both donor and honoree. Celebrate life and those special to you by sponsoring a Blooming Border.

MEMBER PRICE $125

NON-MEMBER PRICE $175

Provides 1 full year of seasonal plantings. Contribution is tax deductible as allowed by law.

6206 Oleander Drive | Wilmington NC 28403

910.798.7660 | rjarrett@nhcgov.com