A $1 million gift from the Callaway Foundation will help fund a new visitor entrance to the State Botanical Garden of Georgia at the University of Georgia, enhancing access to the galleries, classrooms, collections and displays.
The new entrance will be an official gateway to the garden from the parking lots to the Alice Hand Callaway Visitor Center and Conservatory and will include an elevator, which will greatly improve access for people in wheelchairs, pushing strollers or who just have difficulty maneuvering stairs. Alice Hand Callaway was the wife of Fuller E. Callaway Jr., who started the foundation in 1943.
“The Callaway Foundation is pleased to be a part of this effort to improve the experience for visitors to the garden,” said Speer Burdette, president of the Callaway Foundation, Inc. “Mrs. Callaway loved flowers and plants, and especially the State Botanical Garden of Georgia. Her wish would be that every Georgian could experience the beauty of the garden and discover the many ways it benefits the state, through education and conservation.”
“The Callaway Foundation is pleased to be a part of this effort to improve the experience for visitors to the garden,” said Speer Burdette, president of the Callaway Foundation, Inc.
The Callaway Foundation Inc., based in LaGrange, Georgia, is a private foundation that supports the charitable, religious and educational efforts of nonprofit organizations.
“This will truly be a game changer for many visitors to the garden, who often come with young children and grandparents,” said Jennifer Cruse-Sanders, director of the State Botanical Garden of Georgia. “We are so grateful to the Callaway Foundation for its longtime support and for continuing to help us make the garden a destination for visitors from across the state.”
About 230,000 people visit the State Botanical Garden each year and Cruse-Sanders believes that number will increase by about 50,000 once the Alice H. Richards Children’s Garden is completed later this year. From the new entrance visitors would be able to see the children’s garden as they wait for the elevator.
If you are interested in contributing to this project, please contact Cherie Duggan by email at cduggan@uga.edu or by phone at 706-542-6654
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