Events

VISIONS for our Chapter.   Our president, Jo Ann Fritz planned a chapter meeting highlighting the National Wild Ones Organization with the intention of informing members about all the work national does and all the projects chapters all over the country are doing.  Her intention was to inform and inspire our members into positive action and engagement in our chapter.

An edited/shortened version of National's Annual Report was shown followed by 5 speakers, 4 from our community, highlighting their work in promoting native plants and 1 speaker from our membership, Jim Cieslak, who shared with us the work he has been doing as National's Seeds for Education judge.

The four community speakers were:

Quinn Wilder from Food Freedom Milwaukee;

Muhammed Shahzad Hussain from Faith in Place;

Matt Ray, environmental & sustainabiity teacher at Fernwood Montesorri School, Milwaukee;

Lindsay Grace Frost, Director of Sustainability University of WI, Milwaukee.

After the speakers' presentations, our president, Jo Ann, gave an inspiring call to action to the members, noting that in this troubled age, the best antidote to despair, depression, and hopelessness is to take postive action and become engaged in positive activities.  She pointed out that that is what the Wild Ones is all about and that is what we want our chapter to become: a vital organization that is engaged in our community and schools doing the positive work of promoting and planting native plants and in the process, growing children, people and community as well.  She noted that there are many opportunites to become engaged in the non-profits and UWM that were represented at the meeting.

Our Vice President,  Deb Ciesewski, then detailed all the opportunities our members have for active engagement in our chapter.

Jo Ann pointed out the large charts on the walls with the headings of WO's foundational pillars: Education, Advocacy, and Collaboration.  In addition, there were posters with these headings:  Gardening, Media, Chapter Positions, Mentoring, Seed Library, Speaker's Bureau/Ambassadors, and Suggestions.  Members were encouraged to write their suggestions for our chapter on the appropriate poster and sign up for the opportunity/area in which they would like to participate.

Since our meeting was held on Valentine's Day, we combined a celebration of Valentine's Day with the theme of loving the earth.  Members had the opportunity to write on a colored paper heart, “how they show love to the earth”.  These ideas will be shared at future meetings and included in future newsletters as well.