Chicago Botanic Garden Spring 2020

OFFICERS Robert F. Finke, Chair Jean M. Franczyk, President & CEO DIRECTORS Dana Anderson Russell F. Bartmes Martha D. Boudos Terrence R. Brady Jennifer K. Brown, ex o cio Neville F. Bryan John H. Buehler Michael J. Busch Heidi B. Capozzi Robin Colburn Jill M. Delaney James W. DeYoung Timothy A. Dugan Peter M. Ellis Jean M. Franczyk, ex o cio Steven J. Gavin Arthur J. Gibson Nancy Gidwitz Christopher E. Girgenti Ellis M. Goodman Charles V. Greener Joseph P. Gromacki Gillian Growdon William J. Hagenah Jonathan S. Holloway Jane Irwin Gregory K. Jones Peter Keehn R. Henry Kleeman Judith H. Konen, ex o cio omas E. Lanctot M. James Leider Benjamin F. Lenhardt, Jr. Anne Leventry Diane vS. Levy Laura M. Linger Anne S. Loucks Michael J. McMurray Christopher Merrill Gregory A. Moerschel Lois L. Morrison Henry Munez Jennifer J. Neighbours, ex o cio Craig Niemann Jane S. Park Katie Parks, ex o cio George A. Peinado Toni Preckwinkle, ex o cio Bob Probst Arnold Randall, ex o cio Mary B. Richardson- Lowry John C. Robak James Robinson Ryan S. Ruskin Robert E. Shaw Andrew Sinclair omas E. Skilling Maria Smithburg Pam F. Szokol Catherine M. Waddell Susan A. Willetts Melvin F. Williams, Jr. Nicole S. Williams Michael R. Zimmerman LIFE DIRECTORS J. Melfort Campbell Barbara Whitney Carr David R. Casper Gary P. Coughlan Peter R. Crane Suzanne S. Dixon omas A. Donahoe Peter B. Foreman Ralph F. Fujimoto James J. Glasser Caryn L. Harris John L. Howard Pamela K. Hull omas B. Hunter III Posy L. Krehbiel William H. Kurtis Donna La Pietra Daniel I. H. Linzer Josephine P. Louis Mary L. McCormack Jeanine McNally William E. Moeller William A. Osborn Homi B. Patel Susan L. Regenstein Anne O. Scott David Byron Smith Susan K. Stone Richard L. omas Howard J. Trienens Ernest P. Waud III Arthur M. Wood, Jr. We cultivate the power of plants to sustain and enrich life. anks to your support, we completed the “Keep Growing” capital and endowment campaign at the end of 2019. e Garden raised close to $140 million during the campaign, which launched in 2010. From north to south, and several points in between, the Glencoe campus has been transformed through this campaign. Anchoring the south end of our site is the Kris Jarantoski Campus, where we now operate one of the most advanced plant production facilities at any botanic garden in the coun- try. e work done at the Robert F. Finke Greenhouses is key to maintaining the quality and beauty of our Garden. At the north end is the new Regenstein Learning Campus. As the home of the Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden, the Learning Campus is the hub of our nature-based learning and wellness programs. Its components—the Learning Center, Nature Play Garden, Grunsfeld Children’s Growing Garden, and Kleinman Family Cove— provide space and inspiration for learners of all ages. e campaign also funded renovation of the Garden View Café, 4½ miles of shoreline res- toration, the North Branch Trail extension, the Barbara Brown Nature Reserve, and more. During that time, the endowment received commitments of $41 million. e endowment helps support our sta , general operations, and infrastructure needs, which in turn allow us to provide rst-class learning, horticulture, and experiences for visitors and members. It also helps protect and sustain our planet’s fragile ecosystem through the work done at the Garden’s new Negaunee Institute for Plant Conservation Science and Action. Alongside the campaign, we also invested in our urban agriculture program, Windy City Harvest. e Farm on Ogden, a partnership of the Garden and Lawndale Christian Health Center, has only been open since 2018 but it is already a community anchor in Lawndale. From the Farm, Windy City Harvest directs the year-round farm stand, job training programs, and Veggie Rx “prescriptions” of healthy vegetables and nutrition education. As we end this campaign, we look to the future, always in anticipation of ongoing needs. A growing endowment becomes even more important as government funding continues to decrease. In this shifting nancial environment, new sources of revenue are needed to ensure the Garden’s legacy as a beautiful respite, a great research institution, and a compelling com- munity partner. Your support is so needed and appreciated. ank you. I also want to thank you for your enthusiastic response to the U.S. premiere of Lightscape. It became the holiday’s hottest ticket and more than 174,000 tickets were sold, far exceeding our expectations. Lightscape’s festive illuminated trail will return in 2020; sign up for our e-newsletter to be the rst to know when tickets become available. Brilliance is the theme for this year’s Orchid Show, and our team created a new take on the ravishing colors of orchids. Modern art set pieces showcase more than 10,000 orchids in bloom. e Show is always a bright and welcome addition to winter. Jean M. Franczyk President and CEO