The Cress Creek Garden Club was founded over 50 years ago. What started as a small, Naperville neighborhood garden club has blossomed into a club with over 100 members who live in 13 different communities, including Naperville, Wheaton, Oswego, Bolingbrook, Plainfield, Oakbrook, Lisle, Woodridge, Burr Ridge, Aurora, Winfield, Hinsdale, and Villa Park.
“Gathering, growing and giving back to the community, that’s the best description of Cress Creek Garden Club,” said club president Marcia Schild.
The purpose of the club is to encourage beautification and general improvement of Naperville and the surrounding communities. The club hopes to stimulate gardening and other artistic interests. Their meetings and activities develop horticultural knowledge, and they support conservation, provide scholarships to students, and support local charities through fundraising activities.
The number one garden club in Illinois
For the past two years, Cress Creek Garden Club was selected as the number one Garden Club in Illinois for a club of at least 100 members.
“We are 102 members, so we’re in that category. But it’s kind of nice to be singled out as somebody, you know, a club that does so much in the community that they’ve awarded us that distinction,” said Schild.
Monthly meetings are held at the Arrowhead Golf Club in Wheaton, September through May. The November meeting features our annual fundraiser, “Make It Bake It,” which takes place at the Bolingbrook Golf Club.
“We have a monthly meeting with a great speaker every month, so that’s a fun opportunity for people to learn something about gardening or about the environment,” said Schild.
Community engagement through gardening
The Cress Creek Garden Club plants and maintains several gardens in the community.
- Paw Paw House garden at Naper Settlement
- Trinity House, a community house in Cress Creek Commons that is a residence for adult men with developmental disabilities
- Veterans Park
- DuPage Children’s Museum
- Blue Star Marker, located at the Naperville VFW
Spotlight Guest: Marcia Schild, President
