The club’s guest speakers for the month of February will be Joyce Lounsberry, Ph.D., President, and Suzann Stahl, Membership Chairman, of the Washington State Federation of Garden Clubs (WSFGC).

WSFGC was established in 1933 with 15 clubs within the state.  Today, after 85 years, the WSFGC represents 91 clubs and 2,536 members within Washington State. [*]

Ms. Stahl, the Membership Chairman of WSFGC, will present both the history of the WSFGC and discuss membership benefits for garden clubs within WSFGC.  (Our club is not currently a member of WSFGC.)

Ms. Lounsberry, Ph.D., President of WSFGC, will present “Garden Therapy: Calming the Inner Storms”.  As she states in her President’s Message on the WSFGC website:  “garden club work has many facets to benefit so many people in so many ways. It is social. It is spiritual. It is educational. It is scientific. It is a way of life.”[*]

In her president’s message she states: “Studies have shown Garden Therapy, with use of plants and nature enables people to participate in their own healing.“[*]

Ms. Lounsberry has been gardening since she was a child, first starting with their family’s large garden plot and on to 4-H activities (food preservation, cooking, baking). She has worked as a nurse, taught occupational nursing,  and worked with patients enduring stress and severe chronic illnesses in her private practice as a Psychologist.

Upon retirement, Ms. Lounsberry became interested in Japanese Flower arranging, joined her local garden club, and began growing the flowers she wanted to use in her arrangements.  She found she “enjoy(s) being with garden club members, many who are advanced gardeners and floral designers.”

Since then, she has held multiple positions both in her local garden club and the WSFGC.  She is the current (2017-2019) President of WSFGC.

[*:  https://www.wagardenclubs.com%5D

[Image:  WSFGC logo]