THE ZABAN TOWER

belongings. When she grew tired of unpacking boxes, she visited a garden center and met someone who suggested she volunteer at the Botanical Garden. That was in 2009, and she’s been a volunteer ever since.

“I think we all feel some ownership in this place,” she said. During her tenure at the Garden, White has gotten involved with the Garden Associates, a group that runs events to fundraise for the property, and was nominated as President of Garden Associates in 2016.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to do a huge number of things,” she said, adding that she was about to become a greeter. “I spend most of my life here.”

The atmosphere among the volunteers is one of camaraderie and continual learning. “We’re so appreciated here,” said Cyndy Franklin, a volunteer tour guide at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. “You know, we don’t do this to get praise or earn money or whatever, but they’re always thanking us.”

When Franklin was in a garden club, a friend encouraged her to do both the children’s and adult docent training. It was an instant fit, and she enjoys the company of her fellow volunteers. “Some women buy shoes, we buy plants,” she said with a shrug.

Franklin grew up near Boston in Lincoln, Mass., and attended college at Boston University and later Cornell University. It was when she met her husband, a fellow student who was a native Southerner, that she first considered moving to the South.

“I’m a Yankee but I married a Southerner,” she said. They’d lived in Washington, D.C., before moving to Atlanta, and they’ve now lived here for 42 years.

After retiring from a career of teaching and a role as Director of Franchise Operation for a kitchen supply store, Franklin found the lack of work to be boring. “I love to read, but you can only read so much,” she said.

While leading tours and manning the visitor center at the garden, Franklin has met people from all over the world, and says the experience of being outside among nature has been a joy in itself.

The docents go on monthly field trips, visiting private gardens and other outdoor spaces, which has taught her quite a bit about Atlanta. “Once I start, it’s like everything else just melts away. It has been a great experience.”

Volunteering at the garden has brought Navy veteran James John Bemberg joy, not only through his work with children, but also among the community of docents.

Once a month, the garden hosts a docent luncheon. “It’s amazing how people at that luncheon love each other so much. We hug each other, we tell each other stories since the last time we saw them,” he said.

While in college, Bemberg worked at the botanical garden in St. Louis for two years, and that sparked his interest in this type of work. His parents and grandparents were also gardeners, so his love for plants seems to be hereditary.

For some retirees, volunteering at the Atlanta Botanical Garden feels more like an extension of their careers.

“I think that was one way that I got into gardening, because my job was to nurture people, to take care of people and to try to make them feel better,” said Memri Lerch, a GEM volunteer at the Garden. “That’s kind of what my job is here, except with plants instead of human beings.”

Lerch worked at the Center for the Visually Impaired as a family counselor for the infant and preschool program, working with kids who had severe visual impairment, for more than 20 years. While working there, she received a grant to build a playground for the children.

She suggested a sensory playground, and the organization liked the idea so much that they put her in charge. It was during that project that she met someone from the Botanical Garden, and her interest was piqued by the volunteering program there.

“When I saw what it did for our kids and their parents, I was hooked,” she said. She admitted that her garden at home is often neglected in favor of working at the Botanical Garden, and said that she has found true solace in the work.

“Whatever garden I’m in, it’s my church,” Lerch said. “If I have my hands in the soil or on the plants, that’s where I feel closer to God.”

Learn more about the Atlanta Botanical Garden docent program online at atlantabg.org; click on Support, Volunteer, then Docents. You can also call 404-876-5859 or visit at 1345 Piedmont Ave., Atlanta 30309.

For information on volunteering at the Atlanta History Center, visit atlantahistorycenter.com, click on Support, then Volunteer. You can also call 404-814-4000 or stop in at 130 West Paces Ferry Rd., Atlanta 30305.