Laguna Beach Garden Club Scholarships/Grants

The Laguna Beach Garden Club general membership voted at the January 2006 meeting to award two grants of $10,000 each to Orange County Coastkeeper of Newport Beach and to El Morro Elementary School in Laguna Beach.

The OC Coastkeeper grant was funded by profits from sales of  our special edition book "The Secret Gardens of Laguna Beach".  The grant is being used to establish a demonstration garden at Rancho Mission Viejo on the Ortega Highway to educate homeowners, landscape contractors, and developers regarding environmentally responsible gardening and landscape maintenance.  For more information on Orange County Coastkeeper and the Coastkeeper Gardens, go to www.coastkeeper.org

The El Morro School grant was funded by general funds accumulated from several years of garden tours that netted more funds than budgeted for horticultural scholarships at Saddleback College and other club philanthropy (See current yearbook for list).  The funds are being used to construct and maintain a teaching garden for all elementary grade levels. 

"Our goal is to create a thriving garden that supports our curriculum, beautifies our campus and provides an opportunity for parent and community involvement", wrote school principal Chris Duddy, who submitted the grant proposal. 

Although the above-mentioned grants are an exceptional occurrence, the Laguna Beach Garden Club annually awards many scholarships, donations, and service support to local organizations. 

Annual scholarships are awarded to Saddleback College and Laguna Beach High School.  These scholarships are awarded in the areas of ornamental horticulture, landscape design, and environmental studies.

Over the most recent years, donations of time and money have been given to the following organizations: 
Blind Children's Sensory Garden,  Forest Avenue Pocket Park, Hortense Miller Garden, Laguna Beach Historical Building,  Laguna Beach Library, Laguna Beach Memorial Garden, Laguna Niguel Botanical Reserve, Penny Pines, and UCI Arboretum.