Since 1954, the Shepherd of the Hills Garden Club has been planting more than flowers, they’ve been planting roots in the Branson TriLakes community. With 40 active members and a mission dedicated to conservation, education, and beautification, this nonprofit works tirelessly to enhance the beauty of the Ozarks while inspiring others to do the same.
From the Blue Eye Library to the Branson Humane Society entrance, the Club’s beautification projects can be found across the region. They maintain the Veterans Memorial Garden entrance, care for the Historic Bonniebrook Museum grounds, keep the Table Rock Lake shoreline clean, and even maintain a Bluebird Trail. Their work extends into education, providing scholarships to students studying horticulture or agriculture at the College of the Ozarks, funding members’ training to become Master Gardeners, and partnering with local elementary schools to teach conservation through poster and poetry competitions.
“Garden clubs aren’t just about hats and luncheons anymore,” said Lisa McCabe, 2nd Vice President of the Shepherd of the Hills Garden Club. “We’re active, vibrant men and women who care deeply about giving back and sharing our knowledge.”
For the past 10 years, the Club has participated in the Save-A-Label program, collecting Best Choice Family of Brands labels at meetings and from containers placed at local Realtors offices. The funds help sustain many of their community projects, especially important since their only major fundraiser is an annual plant sale.
Their commitment even extends beyond the Ozarks, with donations to the USDA Forest Service to plant trees in U.S. regions affected by natural disasters. “We want to ensure the beauty we work to preserve here is part of a bigger effort to restore and protect nature everywhere,” McCabe shared.
In every flower planted, tree nurtured, and shoreline cleaned, the Shepherd of the Hills Garden Club is making the Ozarks, and the world, a more beautiful place.
Learn more about their work at shepherdofthehillsgardenclub.org or visit their Facebook page.
