ORCHID SOCIETY OF ARIZONA, INC.
A Statement of our Purpose and Community Service Record
Prepared March 9, 2008
The Orchid Society of Arizona, Inc. is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization dedicated to community service and the study of orchids. OSA provides free assistance to any group requesting a program presentation.
Since April, 1995, OSA has introduced 3375 Arizona school children to orchids, as well as presented programs for 23 senior centers, various garden clubs, the Arizona State Veteran Home in Phoenix, the Northern Arizona Veteran's Administration Health Care System in Prescott, and the VA Medical Center in Phoenix.
All community service programs begin with a display of various blooming orchids loaned by the members who grew the plants, for the programs. For adult audiences, part of our program is a doorprize drawing of an orchid plant. For school children, OSA purchases orchid seedlings so that the children may have hands-on experience potting orchids. We also instruct the students how to make a
mini-greenhouse out of a plastic gallon milk jug. OSA donates all of the plants, potting supplies, and culture books used in the programs. (To date OSA has donated over 3175 plants to students in Kindergarten through 9th grade. This represents a sizeable investment, but we believe our money has been well spent because we who present the programs, have witnessed the joy the
plants bring to the children.) Activities Directors and teachers will validate the therapeutic and educational value of introducing audiences to orchids. Also, it is OSA's sincere hope that by exposing children at an early age to orchids, that we have the opportunity to implant an idea among one or more students to go on to become botanists!
The goal of our programs is to dispel the notions that orchids are difficult to grow and that they are expensive. Any person can successfully grow orchids in a home environment. No other plant family is as diverse as the orchid family or as colorful, and no other houseplants offer flowers that can remain in bloom for months.
OSA's mission is to help the non-greenhouse grower select plants that will do well in his/her growing environment. We stress the need for reading how-to-grow books, talking with veteran orchid growers, exercising common sense, and for being creative in devising a suitable growing environment for orchids.
OSA is a non-competitive group. This affords us the opportunity to have fun and be creative. OSA has an ambitious goal: to impart the joy of growing orchids to anyone and everyone who will listen. Absolutely anyone can experience the satisfaction that results from growing and blooming orchids. The person who wins a free orchid, receives a gift orchid plant, or who spends a small sum of
money for an orchid, receives as much pleasure as does the grower who is able to spend a great deal of money to purchase plants.
In 1996, OSA donated a collection of orchid reference works to the Phoenix Public Library. This donation makes it possible for more members of the community to access an otherwise unavailable resource. And each year, we make additional donations of books to PPL.
OSA has awarded two scholarships to Arizona students majoring in Botany at Northern Arizona University and two scholarships to PhD candidates at the University of Arizona. Also, OSA donated funds to Hopi Native American student interns to produce an educational handbook of flora and fauna that are of cultural significance on the Hopi Indian Reservation. OSA intends to continue to provide
financial assistance for Arizona students.
The Orchid Identification Center in Sarasota, FL, has received donations of funds for special projects, from OSA. Also, OSA has provided funds for scientific expeditions made by world-renowned orchid taxonomists
OSA was established in 1962 and is affiliated with the American Orchid Society, the Orchid Digest, the Arizona Federation of Garden Clubs, and The Nature Conservancy. For further information, telephone Julie Rathbun at (602) 843-0223.
To Our Friends at the Orchid Society of Arizona. We would like to thank you
for the impact you made on Kingman on January 12 and 13. Three of your
members, Teddy Cohen, Julie Rathbun and Wilella Stimmel, journeyed to the
northern high desert in order to present the program at our monthly meeting
and to conduct "hands-on-orchid-programs" at two local elementary schools.
All of our members thoroughly enjoyed the "Orchids 101" program and learned
so much. Many of us did not realize that growing orchids was possible In
this area and climate.
The school programs were fantastic. We have received thank you letters from
teachers at both the Kingman academy of Learning and Cerbat Elementary
School, They were wowed by your generosity, By providing all 170 students
their own orchid seedling, the pots, fir bark and plastic canvas for the
mini terrariums, you have given them something very unique and special. We
are hopeful that they will develop a love of gardening and plants that win
carry over into adulthood. We are also grateful for the lessons in science
and ecology that were presented to them.
The six members of Cerbat Garden Club who assisted with the school programs
as well as the door prize winner send their gratitude to you for the orchids
they received. All of us felt very lucky and thankful to have been a part of
this event.
We hope there will be future occasions in which we may again join forces as
gardeners and stewards of the earth. Your community service and spirit of
sharing are awesome and inspiring. Thank you again on behalf of our garden
club and all the school children.
