The AIB Symposium was held earlier this month in Philadelphia, and as usual, was attended by a lot of passionate and enthusiastic folks. The Brandywine Valley is an important horticultural region with exceptional public gardens, magnificent historic trees, innovative new parks, and picturesque natural landscapes.

Volunteers from 24 states attended the symposium to celebrate the efforts their communities had achieved in preserving their local cultural heritage, enhancing the environmental aspects of their spaces, and, of course, beautifying their surroundings. It was an incredibly gratifying experience to watch their excitement in being recognized and affirmed!

Click here to read more and see who won awards.

America in Bloom is about volunteers. All volunteers, all the time. Our board and judges donate time, talent, and resources toward America in Bloom's success, just as you do in your town. Would you like to kick your local efforts up to make a difference at the national level? If you attended the fantastic symposium and awards in Philadelphia recently, you received a brochure that lists volunteer opportunities. If you missed it, please check the AIB website at http://americainbloom.org/Support-AIB/Volunteer.aspx. We have opportunities for all skill levels and demographics. Help us help you!

Does your community have a school garden that produces edibles? Created in partnership with FoodCorps, the School Garden Grant program provides a $2,000 monetary grant to a k-12 school, or a non-profit working in partnership with a k-12 school, to support a new or existing edible garden on school grounds. The deadline to apply is October 31.

For the fourth year, America in Bloom will have a display garden at the 2015 Philadelphia Flower Show (February 28 - March 8). The show's theme is "Lights, Camera, BLOOM," a tribute to the magic of movies. The theme of our display garden is "Our Cities are STARS!" The flower show attracts 250,000+ visitors annually, and we intend to showcase every AIB participant since the beginning of the program.

Here's how you can be a part of the magic:

• Send us the name of a local celebrity who has made it big in TV or movies.
• Help as a host in our display garden. You can choose the date(s) and time and get free admission to the show. Plan to cover your travel and related expenses. Let us know soon as time slots are filling fast.
• Be a sponsor! It's a great way to get the word out to more than a quarter million people.

We're so grateful to have outstanding experts volunteering to create the design for AIB's 2015 display garden. Jim Sutton, display designer of world famous Longwood Gardens and his team are helping us create an engaging design to welcome and enchant guests. The committee, headed by Evelyn Alemanni - AIB board member and judge - includes Stacey Hirvela of Spring Meadow Nursery, Delilah Onofrey of Flower Power Marketing, Trilbey Smith of Longwood Gardens, and AIB judges Stephen and Kristin Pategas of Hortus Oasis. Our display garden will showcase plants from Proven Winners.

If you'd like to participate as a host or sponsor, please contact Evelyn Alemanni at alemanni@allea.com. Check back next month for more Flower Show updates.