The Leesburg Garden Club (LGC) chose Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy (LWC) as one of three grant recipients through the Club's grant program. An informal and socially-distanced ceremony was held on June 24, 2020, to hand off the check to complete the Harrison Street Pollinator Meadow. Suzanne Worsham, President of LGC, handed off the check to Michael Myers, Executive Director of LWC. Other LGC members present were Teresa Ferland, Sally Travis, and Linda MacLean. The representative of the LWC membership was Ann Garvey and Carol Sottili. The LWC's request for this grant met the Club's funding objectives and corresponded with the Club's mission "to promote an active interest in gardening and assist in the protection and development of the natural beauties of the State."

"We were thrilled to have such tremendous participation in our grant program. The number of non-profits and school-based projects tells us that there is a big need for horticultural and environmentally significant projects in our community. We are proud to support the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy as they seek to showcase pollinator meadows." – Suzanne Worsham, President, Leesburg Garden Club

From 2018 to 2019, LWC's volunteers worked to plant 1,358 native plants in each of two pollinator meadows on either side of the W&OD Trail. The trail's heavy usage and the proximity within the 100' easement were considered a perfect location for such an informative endeavor. It will allow users of the W&OD Trail to learn more about the importance of pollinators, the habitat they need and see an example of planting and maintaining pollinator meadows. The meadows can be seen on the east side of Harrison Street as it crosses the W&OD Trail. It is a close neighbor to the Crescent Place townhouse community.

The grant funding the LWC received will be used to purchase several plants yet needed and fees associated with beautiful, interpretive signage. Upon completing this project, visitors will enjoy identifying the many native plants along this trail. Visitors may stop to view the interpretive panels, which will describe each plant species, its habitat, and the types of wildlife it supports, thereby educating the public of the importance of native plants.

"Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy is honored to be a grant recipient of the Leesburg Garden Club. We're looking forward to installing interpretive panels at the Harrison St. Pollinator Meadow to educate and inspire the residents of Leesburg about the value and importance of pollinators and encourage everyone to support and attract pollinators by creating more native plant habitats." – Michael Myers, Executive Director, Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy

Community members have played an essential role in bringing this project to fruition with the LWC. A resident of Crescent Place, Carol Sottili, and a Virginia Master Naturalist, saw the space that would become the Harrison Street Pollinator Meadows. Ann Garvey and BJ Lecrone, members of LWC, put in extensive effort to achieve the creation of the pollinator meadows. LWC volunteers supplied the hard work of planting while others acquired the plants. The Town of Leesburg Parks and Recreation will take over the maintenance of the meadows once established. A formal dedication will be planned when the interpretive signage has been installed.

Lucketts Elementary School and Tuscarora High School will both receive grant funding. Students and teachers at the high school will construct an Outdoor Classroom and Learning Lab, while the elementary school students will improve the courtyard with native plants, trees, and shrubs and install a Monarch Waystation. These grants will be distributed at a later time.

Leesburg Garden Club is a 501(c)3 organization. In 2016, the Club hosted its first fundraiser, a floral design symposium presented by one of their honorary members, Holly Heider Chapple. The second symposium in 2018 featured renowned speaker Jane Godshalk. These two events successfully raised money to support projects of local, Loudoun County non-profits, and schools that share their mission. In 2019, the Club held a Garden Party at Selma to raise money for their Loudoun County Children's Education Fund.

Recipients in the 2016 grant cycle were Oatlands Historic Home and Gardens to install an irrigation system within its walled garden, considered one of the finest historic gardens in Virginia. The Club was also awarded a grant to fund materials for an after-school garden club and outdoor classroom at Leesburg Elementary School.