MEET THE VOLUNTEERS
Our volunteers include individuals interested in plants, seeds, and gardening, as well as various student and corporate groups, all of which have chosen to make a difference with the donation of their time and energy to the conservation of seeds and plants and the ecosystems that depend on them.
In 2006 the seed bank project totaled over 800 volunteer hours, and so far in 2007 we’ve had over 900 contributed volunteer hours from over 180 volunteers. Volunteers typically help us process seed and herbarium specimen collections from across the Midwest and Great Plains states. This involves hand- and machine-cleaning seeds, weighing, counting and freezing seed collections for storage in our seed bank, data entry, and processing herbarium specimens which accompany each seed collection – all done on-site here at the Chicago Botanic Garden.
Here are the volunteers we work with:
Anne Baumann
Marvella Bowen
Irma Clairborne
Anne Coughlin
Judy Cummings
Kate Cummings
Joan DiLeonardi
Kathleen Garness
Mark Hedden
Ann Hinterman
Shelley Kiefer
Ted Klaiber
Daniel Krasnow
Susan Kronowitz
Susie Mahon
Mary Mathyer
Nancy Mathyer
Mary Maus
Alice Mills
Judi Mueller
Judi Pemán
Gordon Pratt
Julie Schneider
Betsy Sharp
Bob Sharp
Jan Simpson
Eve Sucrobe
Val Sucrobe
Darle The-oo
Diane Thompson
Cindy Wakat
Judi Witzig
VOLUNTEER PROFILES
Kathleen Garness is a professional natural history artist, POC volunteer for five years, and deeply involved with the Chicago natural areas restoration community; steward of Grainger Woods, Lake County, IL.
Daniel Krasnow attends New Trier High School and is a member of the varsity rowing team. He volunteers at the Botanic Gardens because he’s interested in biology and plants.
Eve Surcobe is a high school student at Glenbrook North. She has a strong interest in science and the environment and is a member of the high school's Environmental Awareness Club. She is also the founder and editor of her high school environmental newsletter. Eve has been a Millennium Seed Bank volunteer since 2006, where she helps with the processing of seeds for the preservation of native plans.
Diane Thompson’s garden consulting business is called Perennial Pleasures. She is a member of Landscape Design Association with that business, and also is an employee of The Village Gardener in Wilmette. She has an Associates' degree in Horticulture from College of Lake County and has been doing Plant Information for 17 years. She was in a Master Gardener class so long ago that it was FREE! She also does Special Events and Plants of Concern at CBG.
