Award of Excellence

National Garden Clubs, Inc. announces the 2025 winners of its highest honor, the Award of Excellence.

This award recognizes exceptional individuals, organizations, or institutions that reflect and advance the goals and purposes of National Garden Clubs, Inc.

2025 Award of Excellence Winners

Non-Members

• Dr. Joseph Novak, nominated by Texas Garden Clubs- Dr. Novak is a Faculty Lecturer of BioSciences and the Director of The Betty and Joseph Friedman Holistic Garden located on the campus of Rice university in Houston, Texas.
• Carrie Tauscher, nominated by the Garden Clubs of Indiana, Inc.- Carrie serves as a volunteer on the Board of Saluting Branches, Arborists United for Veteran Remembrance. She is also a site leader for Saluting Branches for sites that service veterans.
• From Maine we honor Mr. Drew Dumsch with the Award of Excellence for Non-Members. Drew is the Co-Founder and CEO of The Ecology School at River Bend Farm. Since 1998 this organization has provided ways for children to get outside to experience nature and the environment firsthand.

States

• The Award of Excellence for States is awarded to Florida Federation of Garden Clubs, Inc. The state’s Arbor Day project had a goal of every club planting a native tree on the same day at the same time. 82% of their clubs participated.
• Award of Excellence for States goes to The Garden Club of Indiana for their “Plant a Tree for Hope”, a project that resulted in the planting of 20,000 trees!
• Michigan Garden Clubs, Inc. receives the Award of Excellence for their “Gardening With A Purpose” project which supported NGC’s Plant America, Feed America. This project donated nearly 75,000 pounds of produce to food pantries throughout the state.
• The Garden Club Federation of Pennsylvania earned the Award of Excellence for their education about England’s Chelsea Flower Show which culminated in a statewide trip to this premier gardening event.

Previous AOE Winners

2024 Winners

2023 Winners

2022 Winners

2021 Winners

2020 Winners

Resources

For questions about the NGC Award of Excellence, contact:

Susan Miner

NGC Award of Excellence Chairman