In Short Hills: Greenwood Gardens' Green Team Earns Top Award

SHORT HILLS, NJ — The following article comes courtesy of Greenwood Gardens. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site here.

Greenwood Gardens, the 28-acre historic site and public garden in Short Hills, NJ, is very proud to announce that our Green Team volunteers were awarded the PSEG Environmental Stewardship award during the 2018 New Jersey State Governor’s Jefferson Awards presentation ceremony held at the War Memorial in Trenton, NJ on Saturday, June 2, 2018.

Each year the New Jersey State Governor’s Jefferson Awards highlight the spirit of civic engagement among New Jersey’s 1.5 million volunteers and presents Jefferson Awards medals in 22 categories of volunteer service. Considered America’s highest honor for public service and volunteerism, the Jefferson Awards were established in 1972 as the official recognition program of the United States Senate. In New Jersey, the awards are also the official recognition program of the Governor’s Advisory Council on Volunteerism, administered by a partnership that includes the NJ Office of Volunteerism, NJ Advance Media, the Community Foundation of New Jersey, and corporate sponsors, such as PNC Bank, PSEG, BD and others.

The Green Team volunteers are one of Greenwood Gardens’ greatest assets and were nominated for the Jefferson Award last spring by Greenwood’s Executive Director Abby O’Neill. The nomination read in part, “Without Greenwood’s volunteers, it would be nearly impossible to maintain our gardens at a level that meets the expectations of the visiting public. Not only does the Green Team provide critical weekly garden maintenance, its members are integral to the completion of large scale projects which would be virtually unachievable without their assistance…Their service has made it possible for thousands of visitors to derive peace and inspiration by connecting with nature in this historic garden oasis.”

The Greenwood Gardens staff, Board and Advisory Board of Greenwood, extend their deepest appreciation for the Green Team’s many years of dedicated service and recognizes the unflagging efforts of founding member, Lezette G. Proud; Greenwood Founder Peter P. Blanchard III; Manager of Programs and Public Engagement Stephanie Murphy; Head of Horticulture Sonia Uyterhoeven; and Gardener Joan Mutascio, in making the promise of the Green Team a reality.

Greenwood Gardens is on the NJ Register of Historic Places, located at 274 Old Short Hills Road in Short Hills, NJ 07078. Formerly the private estate of the Day and Blanchard families, the Gardens opened to the public in 2013 with a mission to connect people with nature in an historic garden oasis. To learn more about Greenwood Gardens, volunteer opportunities, workshops and events, and membership, visit greenwoodgardens.org or call 973-258-4026.

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Photo: Accepting the New Jersey State Governor’s Jefferson award on behalf of the Green Team are, from left: Peter P. Blanchard III; Lezette G. Proud; and Stephanie Murphy (by Russ DeSantis)

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