Adopt-a-Park

The TEENs are adopting part of the Indian Bend Wash Habitat for clean-ups and special projects. Follow this link to learn more about this City of Tempe park.

www.tempe.gov/maps/StandardDetails.aspx?LocationID=28a978e5-a7eb-4017-85d2-9720bacd3e97

First Place - Non-profit category!

First Place - Non-profit category!

Thank you and Congratulations to all the TEENs that helped work on this year's Fiesta of Lights Electric Light Parade!

You helped earn the Garden 1st Place in the non-profit category!

Excellent work!

Recording your hours

TEENs - Please remember to record your hours properly. If you have any problems or errors in your records, let me know and I can fix them.

2010 volunteer hours are to be recorded by Jan 10th at the latest.

To record your hours from home or your smart phone please follow this link. https://www.volgistics.com/ex/portal.dll/?FROM=17771

Good luck with finals!

High School Juniors & Seniors

Interested in leadership opportunities?

Check out the link below for complete details of a great opportunity offered by Bank of America.

http://www.bankofamerica.com/neistudentleaders

Chilies & Chocolate Festival

Come join us at the Desert Botanical Garden tomorrow for the last day of Chilies & Chocolate from 10am to 5pm!

Thank you to all the TEENs that volunteered today and will volunteer tomorrow!

Paper Mache & other recent events!

Thanks to all the TEENs that participated in the Dia de los Muertos Festival and the Fall Frenzy! The kid's crafts at the Festival looked awesome. The Garden's float in the Electric Light Parade is going to have an amazing "rock garden." Great work!

Great Pumpkin Fest 2010

Thank you to all the TEEN volunteers that participated in this year's festival. From kid's crafts, to carnival games and hay ride line entertainment, you were amazing!

The Great Pumpkin Festival

There are no more volunteer shifts available for this week's Great Pumpkin Festival. If you are already signed up for a shift, please sign-in outside of the Marely Education building and on the TEEN clipboard located on the TEEN bulletin board for your job assignments.

I look forward to seeing everyone this weekend!

Casa Grande Ruins Service Learning Trip

Thanks again to all the TEENs that went to the Casa Grande Ruins for the National Public Lands Day. I think the burrowing owls will really benefit from everyone's hard work. Here is a message from some of our TEEN Volunteers about the day's activities.

Fall Plant Sale

The Desert Botanical Garden's Fall Plant Sale is this weekend!

October 16-17: Saturday 7am-5pm & Sunday 9am-5pm

Garden volunteers and horticulturists are on hand to answer questions, offer advice and assist in plant selections. TEEN volunteers will also be seen helping at the check out!

No admission charge to enter the Fall Plant Sale.

Thank you to all the TEENs that helped out at the Pumpkin Patch Garden last Saturday!

The fences look amazing and the plants have survived the storms. Kate and I went out there this morning to check on them.

Great work TEENs!

Great Pumpkin Festival

TEENs - it's almost time for the Great Pumpkin Festival, that means that it's time to tend the garden! Join us Saturday, Oct 2nd from 7:30/8 to 11am to help tend the Pumpkin Patch Garden. We will be amending the soil, building fences, touching up paint, laying down mulch and planting crops! Please contact Jeni to sign up for the event.

Reminder

Hi TEENs! Please remember that all required forms are due Friday, Oct 1st. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Jeni.

Also, if you are planning on leaving the TEEN Volunteer program, please send a written statement to Jeni.

Butterfly Training

TEENs!

Join us on Saturday, Sept. 25th for the Butterfly Pavilion Training.

Please contact Jeni for more details or to sign up for this training.

TEENs present at Youth Voices Conference

TEENs, if you would like to participate in the annual Youth Voices Conference presentation on Oct 2nd or creating the presentation about the Pumpkin Patch Garden, please email Jeni.

Update: Pumpkin Patch Garden

Wow!

After 2 days of work, the Pumpkin Patch Garden has upgraded from 2 in-ground beds to planter boxes in order to protect the plants aginst hungry critters. After our soil delivery, we were able to plant young corn and pepers as well as sew sunflowers, gourds, winter squash, and of course, pumpkins! It was a lot of hard, hot work so a big thank you goes out to Alexander, Pat, Marcus and all the other TEENs that have worked at the Pumpkin Patch Garden this spring & fall. Hopefully all the hard work will be seen at the Great Pumpkin Festival this October. Amazing work, TEENs!

If you would like to sign up for shifts to tend the Garden or work the festival, please contact Jeni.

Plants for the Planet

Please consider adding your support to the Plants for the Planet campaign. Follow the link to sign your name and where you're from. Every name helps!

www.plantsfortheplanet.com

Tucson Adventure!

Last Saturday, the TEENs explored Tucson and brought back some amazing memories! We visited the Sonoran Desert Museum and the University of Arizona Herbarium. At the Desert Museum, we found snakes, birds and so much more! It was hot outside, but the TEENs did let it stop them from investigating tortis shells and crested saguaros. On the UofA campus, the TEENs successfully navigated their way to the student union for lunch and later, with Jeni's help, they found the herbarium. The TEENs ventured into the stacks and enjoyed hearing stories about the Poison Control assistance the herbarium provides. By the end of the day, most of the TEENs enjoyed nap time as our adventure came to an end.

Thanks for the great adventure, TEENs!

Flashlight Tours!

We had another awesome turnout by the TEENs for the final Flashlight Tour Training this season! Come join us Thursday and Saturday evening at the DBG! For more information, please visit http://dbg.org/index.php/plan/calendar/eventdisplay?evt=summerflashlighttours

Hope to see you there!

Gardening Party

"It may not be the kind of party that traditionally comes to mind. Here at DBG, we party by planting and cultivating! On Saturday, May 22nd a group of TEENs went out to the Summer Camp Garden to weed the area and plant several melon, bean, squash, and corn plants. The TEENs also built enclosures around the plant beds to keep pests out. The summer camp kids will reap the benefits of the TEENs’ hard work. They even left their mark in the form of paint hand prints around a raised bed. Back in the TEEN Garden, the saguaro cross sections were moved to a more permanent location and the new composter got up and running. The TEENs also tidied up the potted plants in the garden. With all the hard work done what else is left to do? Eat! The rest of the morning was spent eating and having a good time."

-written by Matt B.

Garden Party Anyone?

Come celebrate the end of the school year by doing some gardening at the Summer Camp & Teen Gardens.

Saturday, May 22nd from 8:30-11am.

Please RSVP to Jeni if you would like to attend.

Earth Day Celebration & Scavenger Hunt Recap!!

Is there any better way to celebrate Earth Day than spending it outside on a beautiful Saturday morning?

That is exactly what a group of the TEEN’s did this weekend. Jeni organized a very garden themed scavenger hunt for the people attending. There was a group of 6 who split into three teams of two. Alexander and Patrick were the Bodacious Boojums, Nick and Sydney were the Rad Wrens, and Matt and Marcus were the Sweet Mesquites. Each group received a puzzle piece that had a clue leading them to the next puzzle piece. Tina even had a role in the whole hunt too! Upon obtaining all 6 puzzle pieces there was a riddle made up of all the pieces leading to the destination. Patrick and Alexander came in first followed by Nick and Sydney with Matt and Marcus finishing in third place. The rest of the morning was spent eating some fruit and scones on the patio.

-written by Matt

TEENs are now on Facebook!

If you would like to join us, please search for "DBG Teen Volunteers." This will be a site where teens (and their parents) can be updated on TEEN news and events, similar to this Blog.

I hope to see you there!

Hello!

As the new Teen Coordinator, I would like to remind everyone that there are volunteer shifts available for Kid's Corner, Garden Aid, and the Girl Scouts Environmental Fair (on May 1st.) Please contact me at teenvol@dbg.org if you're interested in a volunteer shift or have any questions or concerns.

I look forward to working with all of you!

Jeni Troutman

First 2010 TEEN meeting!

Sunday, February 21st 2-4 p.m.

We will talk about updates to the TEEN program, meet new faces, and discuss volunteer opportunities for this spring. Hope you can make it!

RSVP to Katy if you are able to be there!