Volunteer
Volunteers provide vital outreach and administrative and operational support for our organization. By volunteering, you can help us build awareness, raise funds, plan events, and participate in community outreach opportunities. We also offer hands-on volunteer opportunities for gardeners who are looking to get their hands dirty.
How to Volunteer
It’s easy! Just fill out our online form by clicking the button below. We’ll add you to our SignUp Genius list and email you when a volunteer opportunity arises
Upcoming volunteer opportunities with WBG
We use the SignUp Genius platform to manage our volunteer lists for events. Please see below for links to any upcoming volunteer opportunities with us:
WBG Info Booth Volunteer Orientation, 3/21
Doing physical work with us, but haven’t signed a waiver yet?
Download it below and bring it to your volunteer session:
The Cultivators are a group of young earth-lovers helping to build the Gardens for Louisville and Southern Indiana. The purpose of the Cultivators is to assist in the development and building of the Waterfront Botanical Gardens through the following activities with individuals ages 35 and under:
– Raising awareness
– Encouraging membership among members of the community
– Educational programs
– Volunteer activities
– Fundraising
Volunteer of the Season
The Volunteer of the Season honor began in our e-newsletter in 2017, to show more gratitude to more of our amazing volunteers. Each season (Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall), we select a volunteer from our base who has demonstrated outstanding dedication and support for the project through their hard work.
donna nistler
Donna grew up in a tiny town in central North Dakota, where gardening was a necessity, and their entire livelihood depended on good practices that went far beyond just care ofthe soil, but of all nature. Her little town was entirely surrounded by crop land, but in addition to vegetables, they also grew fruit trees and lots of flowers for the bees that they kept.
Donna and her husband Stan moved to Louisville 14 years ago. She is excited that the focus of the WBG project will be on education, especially for youth. All volunteer activities with WBG are her “favorite.”
Her favorite garden that she has visited (fairly recently) is the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis. Thank you, Donna, for all your volunteer work at WBG!!
Dot Wade Volunteer of the Year Award
Dot Wade was a volunteer board member for Botanica Inc. for many years. Her spirit lives on through the amazing volunteers who keep this project moving forward.
Congratulations to Tavia Cathcart Brown, our 2018 Dot Wade Volunteer of the Year awardee!
Tavia is a seasoned professional with almost two decades experience in education, horticulture,
conservation and community leadership. Since early 2008, Tavia has been the Executive Director
of the 170-acre Creasey Mahan Nature Preserve in Goshen, Kentucky.
Tavia’s educational outreach includes a show that she proposed to Kentucky Educational
Television. She is the host, writer and garden consultant for KET’s 90-minute feature-length
show called “Kentucky’s Secret Gardens.”
Tavia has served on Waterfront Botanical Garden’s Horticulture Committee since its inception in
2014. She has been the lead designer on the Education Gardens, which include the Pollinator
Garden and Native Plant Garden, as well as designing other Phase I gardens. Tavia works
closely with Bob Hill, Perkins+Will and Clinton Deckard to plan the future gardens as well as
their implementation schedule. Over the last few months she has helped WBG with volunteer
days at Avish Gardens, and has written several articles for the WBG newsletter.
Tavia has given hundreds of volunteer hours to WBG’s current efforts and future gardens. Her
spirit as a leader and a volunteer have kept us on track to become a world-class botanical garden
Past RECIPIENTS
2015 – Valerie J. Smith 2016 – Tim Baker 2017 – Amanda Schmitt and Mary Ayers
cultivator volunteer of the year AWARD
Congratulations to Josh Shuck, our Cultivator Volunteer of the Year awardee!
The Cultivators are our group of young professionals who are also working to make the Botanical Gardens Project a reality. This motivated group has their own governing council, their own members, and put on their own events. They are dedicated volunteers, and the Cultivator Volunteer of the Year for 2018 is none other than Council President, Josh Shuck.