Giving Rye: Meet the Little Garden Club of Rye

Giving Rye is a feature series highlighting non-profits and community groups in and around the City of Rye. Today meet Rosario Benavides Gallagher of the Little Garden Club of Rye. 

Your Name: Rosario Benavides Gallagher

Organization: The Little Garden Club of Rye 

Your role: President 

MyRye.com: Tell us your organization’s mission.

Benavides Gallagher: The LGCR is a not-for-profit, voluntary association of members interested in stimulating the knowledge and love of gardening among the citizens of the City of Rye and in encouraging conservation, preservation and protection of native trees and plantings in the geographic area of the City of Rye. Pursuant to these purposes, the association conducts the following activities:

1. To assist the Rye Nature Center and the Rye Free Reading Room in maintaining and operating a body of reading materials on horticulture, conservation and related projects.
2. To seek to make the public aware of useful gardening procedures and conservation techniques through lectures and workshops.
3. To sponsor and participate in public flower shows at which these procedures and techniques are demonstrated.
4. To make non-cash awards to children and adults for horticultural and environmental achievements.
5. To encourage with financial support and physical effort rail and roadside beautification, civic planning, conservation and the general prevention of community environmental deterioration.
6. To maintain an affiliation with The Garden Club of America (the “GCA”). The Purpose of the Garden Club of America is – to stimulate the knowledge and love of gardening; to share the advantages of association by means of educational meetings, conferences, correspondence, and publications; and to restore, improve, and protect the quality of the environment through educational programs and action in the fields of conservation and civic improvement.

How long have you operated in Rye? 

Benavides Gallagher: 93 years, since 1931. The LGCR has been a member of the Garden Club of America (GCA) since 1948. Marilyn Donahue, a member of The LGCR, is the current President of GCA. The late Kay Donahue, Marilyn Donahue’s mother-in-law, and a member of The LGCR was also President of GCA from 7/85-6/87. Several of our members currently serve on National and Zone Committees of GCA.

What programming or work in Rye is the organization best known for?

Benavides Gallagher: 

1. WinterGarden: Our annual fundraiser which also kicks off the holiday season.
2. Daffodil Show: Historically annual daffodil show where members and daffodil aficionados come to exhibit their daffodils; judges from all over the country come to judge the entries.
3. Our six civic sites: We have six community stewardship gardens in Rye, including the Rye Nature Center Native Plant Garden, the Kay Donahue Kitchen Garden at the Knapp House, Rockridge Triangle, the Rye Train Station and Rye Post Office and the 9/11 Gazebo. We also decorate the inside of the Rye Free Reading Room for the holidays and support one-off beautification projects such as Light Up Rye. We collaborate with other organizations on weed wrangles and garlic mustard pulls and the planting of native plants along Playland Parkway and elsewhere, etc
4. Hosting programs and workshops for our members and guests on a variety of gardening and environmental topics such as floral design, plant propagation, pruning, and garden history and design.

Looking forward to 2025, what will be your top initiatives? 

Benavides Gallagher: 

1. Increase our conservation profile
2. To continue to educate our members and others on the importance of native plantings in our gardens and towns
3. To grow our collaboration with other local organizations.

Tell us about the population you serve and how they can get involved with your programming and services. 

Benavides Gallagher: A number of our programs are open to the public at the Rye Free Reading Room. We encourage the community to attend and learn. In the past we have had Matthew Benson, Nola Anderson, NY State Audubon Society, Katie Bliss and more. We also encourage attendance/participation at our one-off projects such as Earth Day at the Library, Big Dig at Rye Town Park, native plant education at the Rye Nature Center by our horticultural chairs.

Are you a 501(c)(3) non-profit with tax exempt status?

Benavides Gallagher: Yes.

Looking back across 2024, what were your organization’s top achievements?

Benavides Gallagher: 

1. Meet Me in the Meadow GCA Flower Show (Sep 2024): We held an outstanding flower show during two days which was highly praised by GCA and visitors. The educational component, a Bluebird Exhibition, has traveled to the Rye Free Reading Room and the Harrison Library; next stop is expected to be Rye Country Day School; the exhibit will continue to travel.
2. Founders Fund Grant ($40,000 award for JHC), April 2024; We made a proposal and were the winner of the FF grant which will allow Jay Heritage Center to build an edible garden. At the end of November, we were notified that we are one of three finalists for the 2025 Founders Fund Award which will be revealed in April 2025. This award will benefit the Marshlands Conservancy.
3. Annual WinterGarden Holiday Luncheon fundraiser for Community Stewardship projects. Every year we host our WinterGarden fundraiser to raise money for our community stewardship projects in Rye and for scholarships. We have six community gardens in Rye, including the Rye Nature Center Native Plant Garden, the Kay Donahue Kitchen Garden at the Knapp House, Rockridge Triangle, the Rye Train Station and Rye Post Office and the 9/11 Gazebo. In addition, we decorate the inside of the Rye Free Reading Room for the holidays. All this is supported through our luncheon.
4. We awarded a $2,500 scholarship to a Rye High School student who showed interest in environmental, horticultural, conservation and sustainability issues/projects. 2024 was our second year awarding this scholarship.
5. We have alliances and collaborate with many incredible organizations including The Rye Nature Center, Rye Town Park, DPW, Meals on Wheels and Meals on Main, the Marshlands Conservancy, the Rye Free Reading Room (where we hold many of our meetings and invite people to our lectures), the Jay Heritage Center, Rye Sustainability Committee and Rye Garden Club. Through these partnerships and collaborations we aim to build a stronger community and make a real difference.
6. We worked with the Rye Nature Center in conjunction with the Rye Sustainability Committee planting acorns for the new Acorns to Oak initiative.
7. We received a GCA Partners for Plants (P4P) Award to benefit the Marshlands Conservancy.
8. We supported Light Up Rye in 2024.  
9. We supported the Pollinator Pathway/ Healthy Yards initiative and pledge
10. We wrote an article on Native Plants in the Rye Record to increase awareness about native plants in April 2024 (native plant month).
11. We made mini floral arrangements for Meals on Wheels and Meals on Main to be delivered on Valentine’s Day and hosted a breakfast for DPW in February 2024.

How can local residents support your organization?

Benavides Gallagher: Local residents can support our organization by attending our events and programs (WinterGarden, our Daffodil Show – open to children and adults – and other one-off events); donations may be made to the LGCR.

Tell us about you.

How long have you been in your current role?

Benavides Gallagher: One and a half years (July 2023-June 2025).

Is the role full time or part time? Paid or volunteer?

Benavides Gallagher: Full time volunteer.

How would your friends and family describe you in one word? 

Benavides Gallagher: Kind.

Where did you grow up?

Benavides Gallagher: I was born in Lima, Peru and lived abroad (Spain, UK, Portugal, Brazil) since age six. I came to the US to attend college and graduate school.

Where do you live in Rye and how many years have you lived in the City? 

Benavides Gallagher: Grace Church Street, 27 years.

Thanks Rosario!

 

Learn More:

Website.

Instagram.

Donate: Zelle, @littlegardenclubofrye; checks payable to LGCR, PO BOX 58, Rye, NY 10580