宾州东南山谷水花园慈善组织
美国宾夕法尼亚州 Chester County 一群水景与花园业者 2009 年起组成 Brandywine Valley Water Garden Association (简称 BVWGA, 对外以 Brandywine Pond Tour 品牌运营), 由本地池塘与花园业主志愿者共同管理, 长期承办 Brandywine Pond Tour 系列户外开放日, 通过自费团体活动为 Chester County Food Bank 募集善款. 协会行政与联络由 Turpin Landscape Design/Build (宾州 Coatesville) 担任秘书处, 财务与赞助协调均由志愿者委员会负责, 不雇佣全职员工.
2009 年起步的 Food Bank 募款传统
2009 年宾州参议员 Andy Dinniman 向园丁群体提议把开放日活动盈余转向支持 Chester County Food Bank. 这一建议得到热烈响应, 协会由此锁定慈善主线: 每年夏天的 Water Garden Weekend Tour 成为 Chester County Food Bank 主要外部募款来源之一. 截至 2025 年, 这项两年期的 Pond Tour 已累计向 Chester County Food Bank 捐款超过 22 万美元, 长期排名该 Food Bank 年度企业及团体募款前列.
Brandywine Pond Tour 主要活动
Water Garden Weekend Tour 是 BVWGA 的核心活动. 每年 7 月最后一个周末在 Chester County 与 Delaware County 两县境内的宾州东南区域举行, 选 8 至 12 处庭院作为开放景点, 涵盖 Pondless Waterfall (无池塘式跌水瀑布)、临窗观赏池塘 (Pond placed purposefully outside the primary view)、迎宾喷泉等多个风格. 2026 年的活动安排在 7 月 25 日周六 9:00 至 17:00 与 7 月 26 日周日 9:00 至 16:00, 中间周六晚举办义卖式烧烤晚会, 单张门票 55 美元, 30 余处水景分两天依次开放.
志愿者与赞助商网络
BVWGA 长期依靠本地志愿者完成年票销售、场地协调、烧烤烹饪、礼品义卖、票根检验等环节, 任何人都可通过公开联系渠道报名参与. 赞助商以本地小型家族企业为主: Royer 家族、Coster 家族、个人赞助者 Debra Kratzer 与 Adrienne Myers, 以及 Brandywine Valley Water Garden Committee 联名支持. 赞助品类既包括现金捐赠, 也提供义卖拍品 (如绘画、印刷品、设计服务) 与现场摊位, 共同构成持续的本地资源链.
公众参与方式与活动记录
BVWGA 每年把活动合影整理在 Water Garden Tour Pictures、Evening Tour Pictures 与 Garden Tour Pictures 三个图册中, 可在协会网站浏览. 希望参加下一年活动、自荐庭院开放景点、担任志愿者或提议赞助拍品者, 可通过协会公开联系渠道获取最新日期与筹备细节. 历年赞助商与志愿者档案在网站侧栏长期公开, 任何人可查询往年活动规模. 详细安排与购票入口见下方站点链接.
Charitable Pond Tour Group in Chester County, PA
Brandywine Valley Water Garden Association (BVWGA, operating publicly as Brandywine Pond Tour) was formed in 2009 by a group of pond and garden owners in Chester County, southeast Pennsylvania. The association is managed by volunteer gardeners and property owners, with Turpin Landscape Design/Build in Coatesville, PA serving as administrative secretariat. All coordination, ticket handling, and sponsor liaison work is done by volunteer committees, and no full-time staff are employed by the organization.
2009 Founding and Food Bank Mission
In 2009, Pennsylvania State Senator Andy Dinniman suggested that the pond tour group redirect their open garden day proceeds to support the Chester County Food Bank. The proposal was accepted and has shaped the association’s mission ever since: each summer’s Water Garden Weekend Tour now serves as one of the Food Bank’s largest outside fundraisers. By 2025, BVWGA’s biennial Pond Tour had donated more than $220,000 to the Chester County Food Bank, placing the tour among the Food Bank’s top annual corporate and organizational sponsors.
Water Garden Weekend Tour Schedule
The Water Garden Weekend Tour is the association’s signature event. Held on the last weekend of July each year across Chester County and Delaware County in southeast Pennsylvania, the tour opens 8 to 12 selected gardens over two days, showcasing Pondless Waterfalls that meander down a slope, ponds designed to be enjoyed from inside looking out, and welcoming fountain features. The 2026 event is scheduled for Saturday, July 25 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm and Sunday, July 26 from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, with a sponsored barbecue the evening of Saturday, July 25. Tickets are $55 each, and more than 30 water features are open across the two days.
Volunteers and Local Sponsors
BVWGA relies on local volunteers year-round: ticket sales, site coordination, barbecue cooking, auction item collection, and ticket verification on tour days are all handled by community members. Anyone interested in volunteering can reach the association through its published contact channel. Sponsors include the Royer Family, the Coster Family, individual donors Debra Kratzer and Adrienne Myers, as well as the Brandywine Valley Water Garden Committee. Sponsorship contributions take the form of cash donations, auction items (paintings, prints, design services), and on-site booths.
Public Participation and Event Archive
BVWGA archives photographs from each year’s tour in three online galleries: Water Garden Tour Pictures, Evening Tour Pictures, and Garden Tour Pictures. Visitors interested in attending next year’s tour, opening their own garden as a featured stop, volunteering, or donating auction items can find current schedules and contact details via the association’s public channels. Year-by-year sponsor lists and volunteer rosters remain publicly available in the site’s sidebar. For tickets and the latest dates, refer to the official site linked below.
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