Lone Pine to help Madison Senior Center

Lone Pine Nursery near Rexburg has been a long-term stalwart RSVP supporter. We met with Laurie May 1. Dave K. from the Madison Senior Center was there, too. It looks like Lone Pine is going to help the Madison Center with a landscape project. An Eagle Scout is going to rip out the front lawn and install a low-water-use xeriscape. Various container plantings will add the color highlights. Dave says there will be numerous supporters and partners. We're glad Lone Pine will be one of them!

In Memory of Marge Scott

Marjorie June Scott died April 23. Marge ran Rigby's Philo Farnsworth Museum. Without Marge, it's doubtful that this wonderful museum would have ever come into existence. Marge partnered with RSVP many years ago. We had the pleasure of meeting with Marge in February 2008. She explained how the museum came into existence.
The property had been an old motel that went into bankruptcy. Her husband was Mayor. (He served 5 terms.) The City of Rigby wound up owning the property. She pressured her husband into politicking the donation the property to create a museum. Her genius was in allowing each Jefferson County community to have a "room" in the old motel. The result is one of the most charming and educational small town museums we've ever seen.
Only one month ago, Marge lived to see the debut of yet another gift to her community, a history of Jefferson County she co-authored with her daughter. Here's is the publisher's description of Marge before she passed on: "Mother and daughter team Marjorie and Patricia Scott were both born and raised in Jefferson County. Marjorie is the curator of the Jefferson County Historical Society and Philo T. Farnsworth TV and Pioneer Museum in Rigby. She is the widow of three-term Rigby mayor Keith Scott and the mother of 5, grandmother of 13, and great-grandmother of 10. Pat Scott is a certified archivist and a historian with degrees from Southern Utah University, Wayne State University, and the University of Utah. She retired from the Utah State Archives in 2005 and is currently an executive director of the Mormon History Association."
Click here to read her obituary.
Marge was a strong-willed "I'll do it my way" woman whose untiring volunteer efforts created a lasting legacy for Rigby and Jefferson County. Her unstinting devotion to local history will remain an enduring inspiration for all who knew her.
Click here to visit book publisher's webpage for the Jefferson County history.

Hanging Baskets are History

For many years, RSVP volunteers helped staged a Hanging Basket Sale at the Town & Country and Lone Pine Nurseries. In recent years, RSVP's contribution has tapered off significantly. This year, we met with the mgmt. of both nurseries and mutually decided it was time for the Hanging Basket Sale to become part of history. We truly appreciate the partnership that spawned and sustained the Hanging Basket Sales for so many years. However, times, they are a changin' and it's time to move on to something else.

Staff of both nurseries continue to be very supportive of RSVP and want to continue to provide some level of financial assistance to our organization. We are very grateful for the support of the nurseries! Town & Country Staff is thinking of two possible ideas. One would be an outright cash donation to support a periodical publication showcasing volunteers. The other would be a Volunteer Appreciation Day during which volunteers would receive a discount. The more volunteers to shop there, the greater the contribution would be.

Lone Pine Staff are thinking the best approach would be some sort of a community event that would involve volunteers--perhaps a planting or some landscape project in Rexburg or Madison County. We will be meeting in person with them soon to brainstorm ideas.

Staff from both nurseries used the words "win-win" to describe their hopes for future partnership activities with RSVP volunteers. We wholeheartedly agree. We feel that anything we do on behalf of these fine businesses must produce results that they are pleased to see. Likewise, we feel strongly that any such partnership activities be a fun activity for volunteers--something they will look forward to each year.

We are excited about the many possibilities that are now open to us as a result of the dawn of a new era with Town & Country and the Lone Pine Nurseries. We salute their support for volunteers and we wish them a very successful season!