Atlanta Botanical Gardens Offers **FREE** Memberships!

Garden offers free memberships  to families of public service employees More local families will be able to experience the beauty and serenity of the Atlanta Botanical Garden and its many programs without charge thanks to a $1.2 million grant from the Lettie Pate Evans Foundation. The grant will allow the Garden to develop a new program that will extend free Garden memberships to employees of the City of Atlanta, Atlanta Public Schools, MARTA, and Grady Health System and their families next year.  Members are admitted to the Garden for free and benefit from its many educational programs offered throughout the year. “We wanted to offer something unique in the Atlanta community to show our appreciation for the hard-working individuals and their families that contribute so much to our city,” said Mary Pat Matheson, the Garden’s President  & CEO.  “This program will invite Atlanta’s police officers, firefighters, teachers, nurses, public transit workers, maintenance staff, and other community-serving employees to participate in the life of the Garden and become an integral part of our membership base.” At the same time, the program will allow the Garden to reach a broader audience, Matheson said. As a Garden member, participants will be entitled to visit the Midtown attraction as often as they like.  Under the three-year program, the 23,000 targeted employees will have the opportunity to enroll for a free family membership (normally $109) the first year and a heavily discounted one in the second and third years. Participants will receive the same benefits as all Garden members, including daytime admission year-round, invitations to member-only events, newsletters, discounts on educational programs and gift shop purchases, and reciprocal benefits with other botanical gardens.  They will also be invited to special events hosted specifically for the participants. "We are very appreciative for the partnership with the Atlanta Botanical Garden’s program,” said Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Meria Carstarphen.  “The program provides a wonderful opportunity for APS to engage our employees -- especially our teachers in honor of Teacher Appreciation Week -- and their families in taking full advantage of becoming members and creating meaningful relationships with such a strong community asset.”