Archive: Around Town

Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services (INHS) has presented the 2012 Florence Hoard Beautification Award to Sheryl Swink for her decade of volunteer work with Ithaca Community Gardens/Project Growing Hope.  The award was presented by Paul Mazzarella, INHS Executive Director, on Thursday April 12 at the agency’s annual meeting at the Women’s Community Building.


Gail Blake of Project Growing Hope introduced the recipient and said Sheryl has been a member of the Board of Directors for the all-volunteer garden group since 2001, and has put in thousands of hours as treasurer, data collector, and doing member registration.

“Her insight has been invaluable,” Blake said speaking on behalf of the Project Growing Hope board.

In addition Sheryl has been active in working with Burmese and Karen communities, she noted, mentoring gardeners and making sure they feel they have a place in the communal garden.  Sheryl’s work has demonstrated an understanding of cultural differences and a strong desire to make the Ithaca Community Gardens a diverse and thriving community. The garden has been operating for thirty five years and is currently located on a 10 acre site near the Ithaca farmers market.

The Florence Hoard Award is named in honor of Florence Hoard, a member of the Ithaca Garden Club who was a voice for beautification in the city of Ithaca during the Centennial..  She was the founder of the popular Mother’s Day Plant Exchange that is now sponsored by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County.

Award recipients have included Dan Krall, Paul Steiger, Laurie Conrad, Myra Fincher and Stefen Szymanski of McGraw House gardens, 'Agway' Joe Lockwood, Nina Bassuk ,Tompkins County’s Community Beautification Program volunteers, Andrew Hillman, Monika Roth, and in 2011 Harriet Becker of the Ithaca Children’s Garden.

v8i16