I love zooming in close to photograph flowers and butterflies, but especially the bees that visit Toronto Botanical Garden. When you follow a single bee from flower to flower and watch it at work, what looks like a small moment turns out to be full of life. It reminds me how much beauty and wonder is in front of us all the time, if we stop long enough to notice it.
I have been noticing it in this Garden for most of my life.
I first came here as a boy with my parents and sister. On hot, humid summer evenings before it got dark, and on Sunday afternoons when my father was not working, this was where we often came to play and cool off among the trees and flowers.
Years later, I brought my own sons. Watching them enjoy the same tall trees brought back many good memories, and it gave me a reason to thank my parents for introducing me to nature in such a peaceful place.
The Garden has grown a great deal since then. There are more flowers and trees, a Visitor Centre, concerts and floral shows. What has stayed the same is the warmth I feel on every visit.
When I retired, I moved back to Toronto and, for a time, lived right across the street from the Garden. I could walk over every day and relive those memories. I was also looking for somewhere to volunteer, and it made perfect sense to give back to a place that had given so much to my family and me.
Now I spend every Sunday afternoon at reception, answering questions, giving directions and pointing first-time visitors toward the special areas. I remember a couple from the United States who came in while visiting family. I helped them before they set out, and afterwards they came back to the desk to thank me. They had visited botanical gardens all across their country, they said, and this one was the best.
I also give back as a member and a monthly donor. It’s an easy, meaningful way to support the Garden I love.
This year’s Hearts & Flowers campaign asks a question I have enjoyed thinking about: what does the Garden give you?
It has given me summer evenings with my parents and sister, time with my sons, beautiful nature to photograph and visitors to welcome. It has given my wife and me a favourite bench amongst the trees overlooking the Creek, where we sit and feel thankful for everything around us. Most of all, it gives me solace and comfort when the rest of the world does not feel as peaceful. If I had to choose one word for all of it, that word would be contentment.
Now I would like to ask you the same question. Think of this Garden, or of any green place that has mattered in your life: a park near where you grew up, or a trail you still walk. What has it given you?
Take a moment with your answer. I think you will find, as I did, that it comes with a feeling attached. That feeling is the reason I give.
It costs nothing to walk into this Garden, and gifts from people who love it are what keep it blooming and welcoming to all. So, I am asking you to join me and give back through Hearts & Flowers today. Your gift will help a family arriving on a hot summer evening, many years from now, find what mine did.
Give Back to the Garden
Gifts to Hearts & Flowers are being matched dollar for dollar, up to $40,000, thanks to Pat Main.
Ways to give
- Make your gift online here.
- Our team is here to support you in fulfilling your gift. We can help you process your gift online by calling 416-397-1372 or emailing [email protected].
- You can donate securities and save on capital gains tax. Download our form here to send to your broker.
- Mail in a cheque to 777 Lawrence Avenue East, Toronto, ON M3C 1P2.
