[Community_garden] ACGA conferences

[Pohl-Kosbau, Leslie]

To respond to Cordalie's question about well-resourced, the ACGA history is
that the conferences used to not only bring people together and draw
attention to the local city's gardening programs, but it also made money for
ACGA and was the largest fundraiser to keep the organization rolling along.
The local sponsors (Portland was one in 1995) secured the hotel or meeting
place with seed funds from the previous year. They also got in-kind venues
and donations or good rates on food and supplies and some of the
transportation. There was sponsorship by the local businesses and other
gardening organizations who could advertise at the conference. In
Indianapolis there was larger corporate sponsorship. Each city puts the
conference together using a guide, but resourcing locally. ACGA has provided
volunteers and staff, when we had staff to help.

Many of the conferences went well, and some had bumpy spots. We all manage
to help each other and pitch in when necessary (a Community Gardening way of
doing things). I know that the ACGA Board tries to serve the membership in a
professional and responsible way. Working to increase membership should help
some, and looking around for "summit" resources linking urban gardening and
agriculture to the solutions to obesity and illness may be a way to locate
funding for future gatherings.

Leslie Pohl-Kosbau
Portland Community Gardens