On June 14, a large and enthusiastic group of donors and admirers gathered at the Simpson Garden Park for
the dedication of the Sensory Garden and to celebrate the success of the fund-raising campaign.
Thanks to hundreds of donors and a dedicated corps of volunteers, the vision for the Simpson Garden Park
has been realized. Achieving the campaign’s goal of $700,000 ($710,000 actually raised) speaks volumes
about Bowling Green as a community and its unmistakable spirit of volunteerism and generosity.
To those citizens who have yet to visit the Simpson Garden Park, I encourage you to take a few minutes to
do so to note the beauty of the park and to share in the remarkable progress in its young history and
early stages of development.
And yet, some citizens still do not realize that most of the accomplishments at the Simpson Garden are
the result of private donations and gifts in time and talent from thoughtful, caring citizens and not
from taxpayer dollars.
To be sure, the city has played a strong and supportive role with the infrastructure of the gardens but
the plantings and special features are from donated dollars through the BG Parks and Recreation
Foundation, a private, not-for-profit group.
Additionally, and most importantly, so many citizens have volunteered countless hours toward the
development of the Simpson Garden Park through the construction of arches and related garden features,
through the planting of and caring for flowers and shrubbery, and through multiple gifts-in-kind such as
plants.
To the citizens of Bowling Green, and to so many other supporters who view the city as a special place to
live and work, thank you.
On behalf of the 16-member Steering Committee
Dick Edwards
Campaign Co-Chair
Bowling Green