2024 Annual Report

From the president

Our Mission:
To enhance the well-being of our community, by connecting people with nature through education and the preservation of greenspaces.

EDUCATION

connecting kids with nature

“Seeing our kids planning, cooking, and eating their own food that they were able to plant, water and see grow was such a success to us. I think even in our other programs, we were able to see the difference between the kids who participated in the YFP and their willingness to experiment and try new things compared to others who had not been involved in this program.” - Crystal Rice, Stafford Junction

Our Youth Farm Program saw a major increase in activity in 2024 with a new partnership with Stafford Junction, a non-profit that serves at-risk kids in Stafford County. Four different groups of 12 kids along with four chaperones rotated through the garden from May to October to plant, grow, harvest, and cook organic foods. They had such a great experience they will be returning in 2025!

We continued to partner with the Fredericksburg City Schools to teach our Garden Sprouts Program to 192 preschoolers in the Head Start and Virginia Initiative Programs at Walker Grant School. Our Garden Educators teach children to identify vegetables, taste different vegetables, and best of all learn how to grow them in gardens at the school. Many of them are making the connection between the food they eat and the land they live on.

connecting adults with nature

Our focus also continues on adult education with a range of classes offered year-round. Our classes, many of which were held for free to our community, focused on topics like gardening, native plants and invasive plants, growing mushrooms, pruning trees, and much more. We thank all our great educational partners including talented local instructors and organizations for assisting us in being able to offer these informative classes to the public. One of our most successful classes in 2024 was the Winter Tree Identification where over 60 people braved the cold to join us on our Belman Road Campus.

connecting with the community

Even though we are limited by how many tabling events we can attend, getting our message out to the public remains a high priority. Both staff and board members helped spread the word at various events including the Wild and Scenic Festival, Fredericksburg’s Earth Day event, Seed Library Launch at Central Rappahannock Regional Library; Kids Fest at the Library; National Night out in the City; Tree Fred’s Native Plant Festival and their Tree Giveaway. Staff also spoke to several community groups during the year.

Preservation

connecting people with nature

From our original Lower Garden property on Charles Street, to the Upper Garden on Dixon and Princess Anne Streets, to our 56 acres on Belman Road, we have nearly 60 acres of land preserved in the City of Fredericksburg to share for generations to come. Nothing is more important in connecting people with nature than saving open space for educational opportunities. That’s why we were so proud to be given the 2024 Conservation Steward of the Year Award for the Lower and Upper Garden by the Land Trust of Virginia that showcases our commitment to caring for the land in our stewardship. We continue to look to the future on our Belman Road Campus and engaged the landscape architect firm LWLA to do an on-ground survey of the property for us in December.

Our Vision:
One day, we will live in a world where the community feels a deep connection with each other, nature, and the food they eat.

volunteers

Connecting the Mission

Without our volunteers we could not have made the progress we did in 2024. From helping us remove invasive species, plant gardens, to fundraising activities, our volunteers are there throughout the year with a helping hand. We welcome both individuals and groups to our weekly garden hours on Thursdays and Saturdays. We especially would like to thank the University of Mary Washington CORE groups, James Monroe High School’s Senior Day of Service, Virginia Master Naturalists, and Girl Scout Troop 263.

Events

connecting with the past

We were excited to bring back a favorite Downtown Greens event, The Down Home Ball, after several years of being put on hold due to the pandemic and followed by a celebration of the new land in 2023. The Down Home Ball, with its theme of Farm to Fancy, was held at Bowman Distillery and brought the faithful back to dance and mingle with fellow minded supporters. We are grateful for the many businesses and individual sponsors that helped make the comeback event successful. And we are looking forward to building on that effort for years to come.

SAVE THE DATE!
Down Home Ball 2025
will be
Saturday, October 11th at the Jepson Alumni Executive Center

Our Values:
● Sustainability- We are intentional in the use of all resources and mindful of how our
actions impact the community and the world.
● Inclusion - We honor diversity by respecting the innate worth of all persons, cultures, and
abilities. We are stronger because of the varied contributions of all.
● Stewardship – We accept responsibility to care for the land and to educate and
encourage the community to become active contributors to a healthy environment.
● Optimism – We believe in our community, and the ability to bring change for the better
through our actions, words, and intentions.
● Service – We dedicate ourselves to creating opportunities for the advancement of the
community.