Volunteer Opportunities for NIHS Members

No matter what your age or interests, your skills or schedule, you can help the NIHS in its valuable work. Volunteering for the NIHS is a great way to expand your knowledge of plants, give back to your community, meet new people, and share your love of Hostas and companion shade plants with other like minded people. Within the NIHS there are many activities for which volunteers can help and continue to build the success of our society.  Please consider offering your assistance in one of the following:
Garden Walks
Do you have a garden  or know of a private garden that you think members would be interested in visiting?Also, please volunteer as a docent at one of these gardens for a couple of hours too.  Contact Zoe Ingersoll to have your garden or recommendation considered for an upcoming garden tour or to be a docent. Don't forget to wear your NIHS name tag. ​
Day Trips  
Do you have gardens, nurseries, botanical gardens, public gardens you would like us to consider for our annual day trips, send your suggestions to Mark Rekoske. for consideration. More information will be available as we check CDC Covid guidelines. Don't forget to wear your NIHS name tag to these events.
Chicago Botanical Garden-Leaf Show
*Postponed to 2022 due to Covid
Please consider lending a hand during the days and times that NIHS will be at the show.  Volunteers are needed to man the booth (approximately 2-3 hour shifts) during the show and to answer visitors' questions about hostas.
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​We have a prepared slide show presentation that will be on display sharing the joys of NIHS membership. Our first shifts begin on Friday afternoon for accepting display leaves and continues with  set up. On Saturday our shifts begin in the morning.  Then on Sunday, our shifts begin in the morning and continue until clean up.  If you are interested in volunteering, please contact: TBD  Don't forget to wear your NIHS name tag.
Cantigny Volunteer Work Days
Volunteers return to Cantigny

​No matter what your age or interests, your skills or schedule, you can help the NIHS in its valuable work. Volunteering for the NIHS is a great way to expand your knowledge of plants, give back to your community, meet new people, and share your love of Hostas and companion shade plants with others.

​The work sessions include general garden clean-up, weeding and require about a two-three hour commitment of time on the mornings listed below. If you are interested in volunteering your time, please contact Barbara King  for further information and consideration. Don't forget to wear your NIHS name tag.

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Annual Bus Trip - June 26, 2021
​We usually devote a full day to touring gardens, private and public and provide opportunities to shop for hostas and companion plants.
Many times we depart around  7:00 a.m. on a Saturday.  All registrants for the tour will be provided an agenda and departure directions with their confirmations.

​We travel by motor coach. We go regardless of the weather, so we encourage our members to bring rain gear if the weather looks unfavorable. We are usually limited to 52 participants so please sign up early to ensure a place on the bus. If you are interested, you may register and pay on-line. Don't forget to wear your NIHS name tag.

For further information, please check out the upcoming NIHS newsletter that will be out around May 20, 2021, so look in your email.
2nd Annual On-Line Auction
Save the Date: August 13, 2021 
This is our only fundraiser for the year. We may be looking for volunteers to help clean up (wash the leaves off the plants and any dirt on the containers) donations in preparation for our sale and photo shoots for the on-line catalog.  We may also need some extra cars to help transport the plants to one of the four distribution sites here in the Chicago Metropolitan area when the auction is finished.
If  you are interested you may contact: TBD