The Karen Nash Memorial Butterfly Garden Youth Gardeners of Memorial School are the youth volunteers who are stewards of the community and schoolyard wildlife habitat garden that is now 26 years old and engaging youth in the KNMBG Butterfly Garden Inc. The Youth Garden Club works with the Adult KNMBG Garden Club. They are part of the all-volunteer, 501-c-3 not-for-profit , educational organization engaging youth and adults in garden and environmental community service and education.

The club is proud to announce the following Youth Awards which were presented at the 2023 Sustainably Green Music & Art Festival held in the Kids’ Courtyard by Gaias Gifts, in Washington Borough on Saturday, June 17.

Congratulations to:

Sean Nucum of Washington Borough is the recipient of the KNMBG GARDEN CLUB FIRST PLACE TEEN COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD for the most accumulated hours of Community Service among teen volunteers currently gardening in the KNMBG Butterfly Garden and volunteering in Community Outreach and Education at town-wide events in Washington Borough. Sean just completed ninth grade. He has volunteered many times when others were not available and is dependable and a valued community volunteer.

Samantha Murzenski of Washington Twp. wrote an impressive essay about protecting our water resources. Her entry titled, “Don’t Let Water Go.” won the First Place Local KNMBG Garden Club Award and was selected as the FIRST PLACE HIGH SCHOOL ESSAY STATE GARDEN CLUB OF NJ WINNER representing the Garden Club of New Jersey. It has been entered into the Central Atlantic Region (CAR)/State Garden Club (SGC) National Competition. Samantha completed tenth grade, is homeschooled, and takes additional courses at the Winston Hall Academy in Washington Borough. Her Essay shall be displayed on the KNMBG Butterfly Garden Bulletin Board at the entrance to the Karen Nash Memorial Butterfly Garden in front of Memorial School, Washington Borough.

Zachary Pinto of Washington Borough has just completed Memorial School’s sixth-grade. Zac earned a KNMBG GARDEN CLUB SIXTH GRADE COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD. He is among the top two sixth graders most involved over time, with the highest number of community service hours accumulated during elementary school. He volunteered his time gardening as a steward of Memorial School’s Butterfly Garden and volunteering for Community Outreach townwide events with youth exhibits about Gardening for Pollinators.

Fiona Deboo of Washington Borough, a sixth-grade recipient from Memorial School, earned a KNMBG GARDEN CLUB SIXTH GRADE COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD. She is among the top two sixth graders with the highest number of community service hours accumulated during elementary school gardening as a steward of Memorial School’s Butterfly Garden and participating in National Garden Club Youth Contests. She is a past winner of the Smokey Bear/ Woodsy Owl Youth Poster Contest.

Zoe Voris of Stillwater Twp., – the First Place Local KNMBG Garden Club and Garden Club of New Jersey FIRST GRADE STATE GARDEN CLUB SMOKEY BEAR POSTER WINNER in the National Smokey Bear & Woodsy Owl Poster Contest co-sponsored by the National Garden Club and the US Forest Service. Her entry has been entered at the Central Atlantic Region level to compete Nationally. Zoe just completed First Grade. Her poster depicted Smokey Bear controlling wildfires to protect wildlife.