Civic Improvement

Civic Improvement oversees projects involving our community as well as RGC’s Arbor Day Tree Planting. Several informational outings and tours are also planned.

Traditionally we plant one tree to honor each of our previous club members who have passed away and invite their families and club members to attend. Both club and family members tell stories of remembrance which remain with us in so many ways and give solace and comfort to those still living. A plaque with deceased members’ names and dates is installed at the tree location or at the entrance to the park where the tree is planted. The ceremony is held in cooperation with the City of Raleigh Parks Department who decides the number and species of trees to plant, and at which park to plant them. Planting trees teaches stewardship of our natural resources and caring for the environment for generations to come.

Outings for 2024-25

Details and signups will be available at the meetings and in the newsletter.

Sept 30, 2024 Mon, 10 - 12. Tour of DeWayne’s Garden Center, 1575 Outlet Center Drive, Selma. DeWayne’s is top ranked among the nation’s leading garden centers, with plants, concrete fountains and statuary with a large Gift Shop.  

Oct 4, 2024 Fri, 10 am – 12 pm. Joel Lane Museum House tour, 160 South Saint Mary’s Street, Raleigh. Explore the beginnings of Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina, and the United States—from the colonial era, through the Revolutionary War, into the first years of a new nation. Discover history as it’s rarely taught: compelling human stories, told with accuracy and compassion by costumed docents who personalize each tour for our guests.

Oct 23, 2024  Wed, 10 am – 12 pm. Tour the gardens of the historic Yates Mill Park and the Grist Mill. 4620 Lake Wheeler Road, Raleigh. Then we will drive over to Howling Cow Creamery for ice cream. Three gardens are featured: Three Sisters, Prairie and Pollinator. We’ll stroll on the boardwalk which circles the park pond creating a serene setting.

Nov 4, 2024 Mon, 10 am – 12 pm. Good Hope Farm Tour, 1580 Morrisville Carpenter Rd, Cary, NC. . The goal of Good Hope Farm is to honor Cary’s agricultural heritage while increasing the community’s access to farmland and connecting its residents to local, healthy food. We license plots up to two acres to new and expanding farmers, with all necessary equipment and infrastructure available on site. The farm features a demonstration garden and offers agricultural and nutritional educational programming.

Dec 6, 2024 Fri, 10 am – 12 pm. Historic Oak View County Park Christmas Tour “Christmas at Oak View 1850-1950”, 4028 Carya Drive, Raleigh. Historic Oak View County Park interprets North Carolina’s diverse agrarian past and invites families to explore daily farm life. The property’s history reflects the transition from an antebellum plantation into sharecropping and tenant farming.

April 18, 2025 Fri, 10 - 12. Earth Day! Tour of Bob & Linda Hatcher’s Garden.
The plot (about 23 acres) was a tobacco farm and pretty bare when the Hatcher’s arrived 22 years ago. They both enjoy gardening and started working on the garden shortly after that. The garden itself is 3-4 acres planted with hundreds of plants dug up from the yard of friends who were moving to Cary and sadly couldn’t take their plants with them - bearded iris, Siberian iris, unusual hellebores, daffodils, crocus, peonies and much more. 4114 Carpenter Pond Rd, Durham

The Memorial Tree Planting 2024

On April 26, 2024 a Swamp White Oak was planted in memory of Ginny Parker at Fred Fletcher Park. Ginny was an avid gardener and a longtime member of the RGC. No job was too big or small for Ginny; she would perform them eagerly, always doing what she thought was best for the club. She was president from 2008-2010 and served in other capacities including First VP, Scholarship Chair, Chaplain, Ways and Means Chair and more. She was also active in the GCNC and SAR. Ginny won many awards during her years of service but two of her proudest moments were when she won the Maslin Award and was named a RGC Honorary Member. She will be missed and will always be part of our club in spirit.

On Friday, April 28, 2023 our Arbor Day Ceremony was held in Riverbend Park, 5610 Wallace Martin Way, Raleigh. A tree was planted to honor Charles Higginbotham, Edna Louise Caliento, and Myrtle Grizzard Hall who passed away during the previous year.

Six dogwood trees were planted in 2022 in memory of Christine Brennecke, Lilly Craig, Genelle Dail, Jane Doby, Sylvia Redwine and Carolyn Solomon in Raleigh’s Claremont Park. A dedication ceremony was held Friday, April 22, 2022.

The trees planted in 2020 in memory of Mary Ernestine "Tina" Stultz Emerson and Carey Noel Weston are thriving in their location in Laurel Hills Park in Raleigh. Noel Weston was a staunch friend of the Club and worked closely with us in the landscaping of the Fred Fletcher Park during the 1980s.