I recently heard a talk where the speaker challenged audience members to consider "kindness."  He asked, "What would it take to show a little more kindness today than you did yesterday, and to do this every day?"  The speaker admitted that he basically considered himself a kind person, yet he was sure he had not maxed out every opportunity.  He knew no day passed where he couldn't find a way to show just a little more kindness tomorrow than he had that day.  What could he have done a little differently?  Who could he have touched a little more positively? 

Read more

30 communities from all regions of the country participated in the seventh edition of America in Bloom. 

Curious to know who won? Check it out!

 

 

AIB is instituting a new non-compete category, for the city that does not want to compete but which is interested in receiving some feedback from a team of AIB judges. We have received feedback from many cities that they don't want to compete until they are sure they are ready, so this category is for them. We will also allow cities that have competed in the past to participate in the non-compete category once between each time they enter the contest.

Another new change is that we will no longer require winning cities to abstain from competition for a year. So, cities like Fayetteville, Arkansas, which won its population category again, can now compete against all challengers every year, if it chooses. Fayetteville has actually competed and won four times since 2002.

Hershey, Pennsylvania will host the 8th Annual Symposium and Awards Program October 1-3, 2009, but we're still looking for potential Symposium hosts for 2010. Any takers out there should contact Laura Kunkle for the bid specifications as soon as possible.

 

For any city officials attending the National League of Cities' Congress of Cities in Orlando, Florida November 12-14 please be sure to visit the America in Bloom booth in the Exposition and introduce yourself. This would also be a great opportunity to bring your city leaders by to get an update on the exciting things taking place in AIB communities. And if you have a neighboring city you want to help get into the program, bring them by as well!

 

What if America in Bloom earned a penny every time you searched the Internet? Or how about if a percentage of every purchase you made online went to support our cause? Well, now it can!

GoodSearch.com is a new Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half its advertising revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search results from Yahoo, and watch the donations add up!

GoodShop.com is a new online shopping mall which donates up to 37 percent of each purchase to your favorite cause! Hundreds of great stores including Amazon, Target, Gap, Best Buy, ebay, Macy's, and Barnes & Noble have teamed up with GoodShop and every time you place an order, you'll be supporting your favorite cause. Just go to www.goodsearch.com and be sure to enter America in Bloom as the charity you want to support. And, be sure to spread the word!

Start searching!

A great resource for veteran and newly involved AIB communities is Planting Pride magazine.

Meister Media Worldwide prints the publication and donates thousands of copies to AIB so we can use them in our efforts to connect people with plants. In addition to Meister Media Worldwide, Benary and BloomMaster also support the publication. 

We would love to hear from you! Tell us about AIB activities in your community, or let us know about a community you have visited that should get involved with AIB. E-mail your story to Laura Kunkle, LKunkle@ofa.org.