🦋Growing More Than a Garden
The June Helping Hands Award is awarded to Lori Crawford!
Lori Crawford has been a Master Gardener for 5.5 years with about half time in SC and the remainder here with us. She also stepped up to be our Association Membership Chair. She has demonstrated outstanding leadership, vision, and dedication in her role as co-lead for the community pollinator garden. Tasked with one of our largest and most demanding garden plots, Lori stepped up to oversee an extensive, multi-phase renovation. Her efforts have not only transformed a massive physical space but have also built a thriving, collaborative volunteer community.
Upon taking on this challenge, Lori recognized that a project of this scale required a strong foundation. She successfully recruited a brand-new garden team, inspiring volunteers to rally behind a shared vision. Lori works tirelessly on the ground and behind the scenes—meticulously organizing the removal of overgrowth, the careful transplanting of existing flora, and the strategic addition of new flowers and host plants. Because of her deep commitment to ecological biodiversity, the garden now features a vibrant tapestry of plants specifically chosen to sustain a wide variety of essential pollinators, from Monarch butterflies and Swallowtails to hummingbirds and bees.
What truly sets Lori apart as a leader is her role-model mentality. Rather than simply managing tasks, she empowers her team. Lori intentionally creates opportunities for volunteers to contribute their own ideas, allowing team members to put their personal stamp on the garden's design and execution. Under her guidance, the pollinator garden has become more than a beautiful landscape—it stands as a testament to what a community can achieve when led by someone with humility, tireless work ethic, and an inclusive spirit. Lori’s leadership is revitalizing this space for seasons to come, making her highly deserve this recognition.
