In 1963, Elizabeth Sheer Lipscomb was a founding member the Garden Club of the Eastern Shore (GCES) and served as its first president from 1963-1965. She left her club with an endowment which came to be known as The Lipscomb Fund, and its continuing purpose is that it be used for worthy civic projects.

A few years ago, the Garden Club decided to reinvigorate the fund, and it was decided that applications for grants from the fund should combine monetary gifts with the labor and mentoring of GCES members. Applications for Lipscomb Fund grants may be sent to the Garden Club of the Eastern Shore, P.O. Box 1924, Easton, MD, 21601

The Interact Club of Easton High School recently sent a request to the Lipscomb Fund asking for help to transform eight large planters in front of the school in time for graduation in June. Committee members from the fund and high school students gathered in late April to add beautiful flowers to the enormous planters. The chosen plants will require watering but will also, hopefully, stand up to the long hot summers in our area.

This project was led by EHS students Viviana Morris and Mia Mazzeo along with other students Gabriella Hamsher, Regan Lewis, William O’Donnell, Romy Jennings, and Siena Morris. Viviana said, “Our club decided to work on the planter project as a way to create change within our own school. We run so many programs throughout the community, but we had never done anything for the school itself. The planter project felt like the perfect way to give back.”

Another local, on-going project that continues to receive help from the Lipscomb Civic Fund is the East End Community Garden, located at 215 South Street in Easton. The community garden was established in 1992 through the efforts of the East End Community Neighborhood Association and local community members under the leadership of Joyce Delaurentis. The corner lot on South Street was a run-down neglected area that had become a hang-out spot. Joyce’s vision was to create an attractive community garden where people could grow vegetables and socialize in a positive way.

Ultimately, the Town of Easton owns the property and leases it to the East End Neighborhood Association.  The garden has had several coordinators over the years. Rules have been established, gardeners are to pay $5 for a seasonal plot inside the nicely fenced area and presently all spots are taken. All the gardeners are very enthusiastic about once again “growing together.”

This spring, the Lipscomb Fund provided materials such as mulch, pea gravel, topsoil, paint, brushes, and bleach to support the Neighborhood Cleanup and Garden Preparation Day. As Interim Coordinator, Joyce reports that many volunteers worked hard to get the garden, walkways, fence and large pergola ready for the season and thanks the GCES for their continuing financial assistance and support.

Other civic projects that the Lipscomb Fund has helped with over the years include planting a tree in honor of Hugh Grunden, Easton Utilities President and CEO. Hugh, along with his crew of employees, has instituted environmentally oriented service projects that have included the planting of hundreds of trees. The Lipscomb Fund also provides gardening tools to new Habitat for Humanity homeowners who are interested in gardening and are encouraged to take a gardening class offered at Pickering Creek.

The Garden Club of the Eastern Shore was founded in 1963 with the objective to stimulate the knowledge of horticulture, to aid in the protection of trees, shrubs, wildflowers and birds and to encourage all conservation practices. For more information about the GCES or to make a contribution to the Lipscomb Civic Fund, send inquiries to The Garden Club of the Eastern Shore, P.O. Box 1924, Easton, MD, 21601. The GCES can also be found on Facebook.