Gardeners By the Sea among groups honored at luncheon

Delaware Secretary of Health and Social Services Rita Landgraf observed the third annual Delaware Week of Service this week by recognizing the volunteer outreach efforts of 13 volunteer organizations at “Honoring the Spirit of Volunteerism,” a luncheon hosted by Gardeners By the Sea at Cripple Creek Golf & Country Club.

The 13 volunteer organizations recognized by Secretary Landgraf included: AARP Chapter 5226; the Center for the Inland Bays; Friends of the South Coastal Library; Gardeners By the Sea; Sussex County Habitat for Humanity; Kiwanis; Lord Baltimore Lioness; Lord Baltimore Women’s Club; Lunch With a Purpose; Philanthropic Educational Organization; Salt Pond Women’s Club; Shore Democrats; and the Women’s Civic Club of Bethany Beach.

Landgraf said, “We honor these selfless volunteers of Sussex County who reach out in support of friends, neighbors and other individuals who are vulnerable. Through their shared spirit of volunteerism, these volunteers clearly show us how powerful actions and ideas can be when they are carried out in the service of others.”

Carole Mankus, president of Gardeners By the Sea, observed, “It is especially appropriate that we are celebrating volunteerism during Delaware Week of Service, a time about inspiring, recognizing and encouraging people to seek out imaginative ways to engage in their communities. Delaware Week of Service is about taking action, encouraging individuals and their respective communities to be at the center of social change — discovering and actively demonstrating their collective power to foster positive transformation.”

The 13 organizations were recognized for their outreach efforts to the less-fortunate members of the community: children, the homeless, the hungry, the elderly and ill, veterans and troops. The organizations mentor students in local elementary schools; provide scholarships for local high school, Del Tech and Beebe nursing school students; collect food, clothing and hygiene products for distribution throughout Southeastern Sussex; protect and nurture the environment; deliver Meals on Wheels; crochet lap robes for active and recovering military troops; and engage in civic development activities that that support of the South Coastal Library and the Ocean View Historical Society.

Gardeners By the Sea, a member of the Delaware Federation of Garden Clubs, is a volunteer organization of women and men who share a common interest in gardening and floral design, promote civic beautification and espouse conservation of natural resources.