Garden Center receives $25,000 grant from Colonel Stanley R. McNeil Foundation

Great News! Garden Center Services received a $25,000 grant in support of the art program from the Colonel Stanley R. McNeil Foundation.

The Colonel Stanley R. McNeil Foundation was established in 1993 to support and promote quality educational, human services, and health care programming for underserved populations. Special consideration is given to charitable organizations that serve the needs of children.

Colonel Stanley R. McNeil and his wife, Merna McNeil, created the Colonel Stanley R. McNeil Foundation as a perpetual charitable grantmaking trust, with Bank of America, N.A. as trustee. During their lifetimes, the McNeils were actively involved in their local church and community. Colonel McNeil also served on a number of boards, including Lake Bluff Children’s Home and Ravenswood Hospital. Although the McNeils had no children, they were strong supporters of children’s causes. The Foundation is particularly interested in funding programs or organizations that focus on:

• Children’s causes
• Start-up initiatives within the human services or arts and cultural arenas
• Healthcare

 

2012 Art Gallery Calendars are available!!

Hot off the press is the new 2012 Garden Gallery & Studio Calendar.  This calendar features 12 unique paintings, painstakingly captured and turned into a beautiful calendar print.  Each month highlights a separate artist and painting.

Support the Art Gallery by purchasing your calendar today!  You can order online and have them shipped to your house just in time for the holidays!  ORDER HERE

Here come the Hawks….the Mighty Blackhawks…to fulfil another wish!

At the beginning if the year, Jonathan had a wish to go see his very first Blackhawks game EVER!  He didn’t care how he got there or what seats he had, he just had a drive to see his favorite hockey team play.  Garden Center was able to fulfil this wish on September 28th….

Jonathan LOVES Chipotle

Jonathan wanted to make a night of it, so he opted to have some dinner before the big game.  Keeping true to his night of firsts, he chose to have his dinner at our local Chipotle restaurant.  He heard wonderful things about the food and wanted to try his hands at a huge burrito.  He was not disappointed!  The staff there wished him a good wish day as he left and he was off to the United Center! 

When Jonathan got there, he wanted to look around the stadium.  He walked the whole main level, stopping in Fandemonium to shop for a new hat.  With all the selection there, he was finding it hard to choose!

Pretty soon, he found his way to his seat.  It was in the 300 level, but he didn’t care….the Hawks were playing the Red Wings!!!!

The fans that surrounded us only added to the experience.  There were warring Red Wing fans battling verbally with a pack of Hawks fans….people chanting….it was ELECTRIC!!

Many of the stars played that night as well as some of the newer players that the crowd was waiting to see take the ice.  A few fights, some face paced action, and a goal or two really rallied the United Center and Jonathan was wrapped up right in it!

The game went by like a blur, but boy was it fun!  Jonathan is wishing for season tickets now….;)

Jonathan at the game

 

TribLocal writes a fine article about the Garden Gallery & Studio

On Friday, 11/4/2011, Ashley Rueff, a TribLocal reporter created an atricle showcasing the Garden Gallery & Studio.  This article describes our goal of opening the studio and also offers ways that you can help make this a reality. 

Please take the time to read this article and make sure you link your Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ accounts to it for all to see.

The article can be found here.

Garden Gallery announces iPad 2 contest

As the work continues on the Garden Gallery site, Beth Kopf and the folks behind the gallery thought it would be nice if we did an iPad 2 giveaway to help spread the word. 

There are a few ways you can get in this contest.  (See details below)

The Garden Center Services (Burbank IL.)

Help us grow our Facebook friends list and win an iPad2!

Here is how…

1. Like our page
… Just Like our page and you will earn one chance to win the iPad2!

2. Refer your friends and earn more chances!
Refer friends to Garden Center’s Facebook page. Each friend must Like the page, and post on our wall or send us a message letting us know who sent them. We will tally your new Likes as we go. You will receive an additional chance in the drawing for each of your referrals who likes our page!

3. Donate to Garden Center’s IndieGOGO campaign for more chances to win!
Go to <http://igg.me/p/41656?a=245908&i=shlk> and donate toward our Garden Gallery & Studio Project to earn 10 additional chances for every $10 you donate.

Contest ends midnight on Thursday, November 10th.
Contest winner will be announced by Friday, November 18.

 

Wishes are coming true all over the place around here!

Over the last few months, the wishes of the people served at Garden Center Services have been coming true thanks to the help of dedicated staff and some outside funding.

Jimmy is an avid Man vs. Food fan and so longs to complete an eating challenge that he wishes about it annually.  Last year he tried the Lucky’s Sandwich Shop challenge in Wrigleyville, but was defeated.  This year, he attempted the “Eat The Menu” contest at Windy City Dogs in LaGrange Park.  Want to see how he did?  We filmed the event in little snippets, LIVE!  Check it out all the videos here: http://qik.com/video/43426171

Dejuan has always wanted to drive fast.  The best solution was to let him test his skills in a go-kart at Haunted Trails in Burbank. 

Melissa is a shop-a-holic and dreams of outlet malls and large retail plazas.  The one thing that would make her year would be a trip to Gurnee Mills for a shopping bonanza.  That’s exactly what she did….

Coming up…the Blackhawks experience!! Stay tuned….

Hey Guggenheim and Louvre….make some room for Garden Gallery and Studio!

Two years ago, Beth Kopf volunteered to teach art classes to adults with developmental disabilities at Garden Center Services.  While teaching, she began to recognize a raw talent in people attending the classes and came to realize the value of art in creating an avenue of self-expression for people who have for so long had no voice.  The popularity of the art program has outgrown the agency’s cramped space and is currently seeking help in opening Garden Gallery & Studio In Tinley Park as a permanent space.

The studio/gallery will provide a place for community artists to create and sell their work with a special focus on the art of individuals with developmental disabilities.  Beth will continue to teach art classes for people with and without disabilities and will run the studio/gallery with the support of many other committed collaborators. 

The studio/gallery has already created a buzz and we have several local groups who want to work, display, and grow with us.  The funds we raise IndieGOGO and FirstGiving will go toward the building renovation to turn the space into a working studio & gallery.

Check out our campaigns…Help us make this a reality!!

http://www.indiegogo.com/Garden-Studio-Gallery

http://www.firstgiving.com/gardencenterservices/gardengallery