Rumson Garden Club Holds Fashion FUN-Raiser

FEATURED PHOTO: Left to right: Beauregard Fine Art Gallery Owner and Rumson Garden Club member Kathy Karlen Donnelly, Rumson Garden Club President Joan Lynch, FUN-raiser committee member Mary Ann McDonald, FUN-Raiser Chairs Peeka Tildesley and Alison Dale, and Committee member Bonnie Torcivia

Rumson Garden Club, a member of the Garden Club of America, held their first-ever Fashion FUN-Raiser at Beauregard Fine Art Gallery, located in Rumson on February 12. Garden Club members and friends gathered to admire and purchase gently used and like-new jewelry, handbags and shoes, donated by Rumson Garden Club members. Funds raised will be used for community service and beautification projects in the Two River area.

“A big part of the mission of the Garden Club of America is conservation,” said Rumson Garden Club President Joan Lynch. “That doesn’t have to be limited to issues tied to the natural environment. Fashion can be conserved and recycled too. According to Greenpeace, the average person buys 60 percent more items of clothing every year and keeps them for about half as long as 15 years ago, generating a huge amount of waste, which damages our environment.”

The Environmental Protection Agency reported that there was 16 million tons of textile waste generated in 2014 and it is estimated that the average American throws away 80 pounds of clothing and accessories each year. Of this amount, 2.62 million tons were recycled, 3.14 million tons were combusted for energy recovery, and 10.46 million tons were sent to the landfill. Recycling through donations and re-sale of used clothing and accessories and can reduce the amount of waste associated with our culture of fast fashion.

Rumson Garden Club will use the funds raised at the Fashion Fun-Raiser for their continued service to the Two River Community, including the maintenance of local municipal gardens, annual holiday wreath and centerpiece distribution to hospitals and senior centers, public lectures on such topics as Garden Design, Photography and History, and their annual scholarship to graduating high schoolers who demonstrate an interest in conservation and environmental studies.

Founded in 1914, Rumson Garden Club’s purpose is to promote the knowledge and love of gardening and nature. The club is dedicated to conservation, ecology, horticulture, flower design, as well as civic outreach.