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How Does Their Garden Grow?

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By B.C. MANION

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 8, 2008

LUTZ - A project to add a bit of beauty in front of two fire department buildings on Lutz-Lake Fern Road has yielded a national honor for the Little Women of Lutz club.

The club has been singled out by the General Federation of Women's Clubs for having the best entry in the federation's Community Improvement contest for junior clubs.

"This is a big deal. Each state sends its best entry," said Pat Nolan, program director for the federation, an international organization of women volunteer service organizations, based in Washington, D.C. The federation has more than 100,000 members, coming from all 50 states and a dozen other countries.

"It's not just a big thing for the girls. It's a big thing for the women's Lutz-Land O' Lakes Woman's club, and it's a big thing for this community," said Jay Muffly, president of the board of directors for the Lutz Volunteer Fire Association.

"It shows what this community is," Muffly said.

The little women's club's president, Christian Nunez, will travel to the 117th GFWC annual International Convention in Chicago to claim the award. Marilyn Wannamaker, one of the club's adult advisers, will accompany her.

Besides $250 in prize money, the award includes airfare and overnight accommodations for Nunez, as well as a ticket to the awards banquet June 29.

Wannamaker's expenses will be covered by a $500 grant from the Florida Federation's executive board, and from support from the Lutz-Land O' Lakes Woman's Club.

"It is a huge honor," Nunez said. "It's really exciting."

The girls in the club are thrilled, she added. "This was one of the first chances for them to see how their work is paying off, and important people are recognizing it," Nunez said.

During the two years the Lutz girls worked on the landscaping project, they and a team of community volunteers transformed two sandy patches on Lutz-Lake Fern Road.

Besides working up a sweat, they got help from family members, friends, boyfriends, community volunteers and members of the Lutz-Land O' Lakes Woman's Club.

Randy Stevens, of the fire department's board, installed the irrigation system. His wife, Sara Charles Stevens, a gardening expert, helped the girls develop the landscaping plan.

The judges were impressed with the club's ability to get the community involved. They also said the project "made a real impact on the community," Nolan said.

"The girls put in a lot of hard work," Muffly agreed. "Some days when they were up there working, when they were done they were pretty dirty and, I think, sweaty."

Getting the area ready for planting was a big chore, Wannamaker recalls. They yanked out nut sage grass. They also dug out about three inches of packed shell because the area once had been used for parking, she said.

"I think some of the guys used a couple of pick axes to knock it the shell off," she recalled.

The girls, with help from others, planted three crepe myrtles, an oak tree, an Indian hawthorn and podocarpus bushes.

They chose plants that do not require much water or maintenance, Wannamaker said.

The completed project included a sprinkler system, concrete edging, sidewalk pavers, trees, plants and mulch.

Besides getting volunteers to help with the work, the girls raised money for the $1,337.50 project.

They brought in $364.40 by wrapping presents at a local Barnes & Noble Booksellers.

They chipped in $199.23 from their treasury. They got a $500 grant from J.P. Morgan and $273.87 from the Lutz-Land O' Lakes Woman's Club.

The girls chose to improve the volunteer fire department's grounds as part of the women federation's statewide theme of "Honoring Our Heroes," Wannamaker said.

The girls and their helpers put in a total of 285 hours on the project.
Wannamaker said she is delighted for the girls in the club.

"They worked so hard on that project. I'm just thrilled that they got the recognition that they deserved," she said.

Reporter B.C. Manion can be reached at (813) 865-1507 or bmanion@tampatrib.com.

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