Andover Garden Club Sponsors Scholarship for Mass Students

The Andover Garden Club encourages local students to apply for the Ruth I. Cleveland Scholarship Fund, which memorializes the late Ruth Cleveland, a long-time resident of Andover who served as president of the Andover Garden Club from 1954 to 1956. The memorial scholarship is given annually in recognition of Cleveland's efforts to enrich the lives of garden-club members in the pursuit of the arts and sciences.

The Ruth I. Cleveland Scholarship Fund was initially funded more than 35 years ago by her two children: Ann C. Lange, an internationally known floral arranger, artist, and lifelong resident of Andover—who herself served as president of the Andover Garden Club from 1985-1987—and the late Byron R. Cleveland, Jr. It grows yearly through donations from the Lange family and the Andover Garden Club.

Applicants for the scholarship must be graduate or undergraduate students pursuing the study of the arts and/or sciences.

“We wanted the scholarship to reflect Mother’s broader interests, so, rather than limiting it to horticulture, landscape design, or floriculture, we opened it up to any student interested in studying the arts or sciences,” said Lange. “Mother taught English and French in the Lawrence school system for many years She was also a skilled flower arranger and gardener who loved all the arts, especially painting and sculpture.”

Ten Other GCFM Scholarships Available

The Ruth I. Cleveland Scholarship Fund is one of eleven scholarships administered by the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts, Inc. (GCFM), the parent organization of the Andover Garden Club. The other scholarships, which also award amounts up to $1,000, are geared to students majoring in horticulture, floriculture, landscape design, conservation, forestry, agronomy, city planning, environmental studies, land management, botany, biology, and allied subjects.

The deadline for submitting applications is March 1, 2019. Applicants must be residents of Massachusetts, have a minimum grade average of B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale), exhibit good character, and demonstrate financial need. Applications, financial aid forms, and scholarship descriptions can be downloaded from the GCFM website at http://gcfm.org/Education/Scholarships/GCFMScholarships.aspx. Official recognition of the scholarship winners takes place at the close of the fiscal year on June 30, when letters will be sent out to winners and all other applicants.

National Garden Club Scholarships

In addition to the scholarships offered by AGC and GCFM, every year their parent organization, National Garden Clubs Inc. (NGC), awards scholarships of $3,500 each. These are available to Massachusetts college juniors, seniors, and masters graduate students who are sponsored by GCFM. To be eligible, applicants must have at least a 3.25 GPA (on a 4.0-point scale) and be majoring in agriculture education, agronomy, botany, biology, city (rural and urban) planning, economics, environmental conservation, floriculture, forestry, horticulture, land management, landscape design, plant pathology/science, wildlife science, and/or other related or allied subjects.

Students wishing to apply for NGC scholarships should also apply for the GCFM scholarships. NGC application forms are available at http://www.gardenclub.org/scho... and are also due March 1, 2019.

For further inquiries, please contact the GCFM scholarship secretary, Kathie Jones, at gcfmscholarship@aol.com.

About the Andover Garden Club

Founded in 1927, the Andover Garden Club is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that encourages the study and practice of horticulture, landscape design, and floral design; aids in the beautification of the town of Andover; and helps protect and conserve natural resources. A member of the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts, Inc., and National Garden Clubs, Inc., the club provides both financial and hands-on support to a variety of municipal, educational, and environmental organizations throughout the region.

The Andover Garden Club welcomes new members, and information about joining is available from membership chairs Liz Bell (belles810@gmail.com, 978-475-3021) and Kathy Hess (kmhess1@verizon.net, 978-470-0806).