Volunteer for a CGA Committee

The working committees within these pillars include members of the CGA Board of Directors and other community representatives. We are always looking for volunteers to serve on CGA committees; you do not have to be a board member to join. Contact the chair of the committee that interests you or, volunteer to serve on a committee by filling out the form here.

Green Spaces & Infrastructure

This pillar is responsible for ensuring the historic nature and beauty of the neighborhood. This objective is achieved through management of our tree replacement program and facilitation of community action projects for alleys, sidewalks, medians, etc. Aaron Klimek - Chair

Subcommittees:

• Arboretum | Responsible for maintaining the Level III Accreditation for the Arboretum. 
• Sidewalks | Our goal is to guide and educate neighbors. Learn more on this page. 
• Medians | CGA is working with neighbors to enhance the landscaping, treescaping, and overall aesthetics of our city-owned medians. Together with the neighbors who live on our boulevards with medians, local arborists, and landscape designers, we are developing long-term and short-term improvement plans. 
• Holiday Wreath Hanging | Responsible for hanging holiday wreaths throughout the neighborhood. These weekend activities take place in late November and late January. 

Community Building & Events

This pillar is responsible for increasing connections through neighborhood-wide events. Kat Schwartz - Chair

Subcommittees:

• July 4^th Parade | A Central Gardens tradition for more than 30 years, This event attracts 300-400 attendees Independence Day morning for free refreshments, children’s and pets’ patriotic costume competitions and music. City police and fire departments are typically invited to participate as well. 
• Home Tour | An annual event since 1976, the Home & Garden Tour is our neighborhood’s primary fundraising event. Proceeds collected through ticket sales, ads, and sponsorships are used to fund all other Central Gardens Association events throughout the year. The committee is responsible for planning and coordinating all aspects of the event, including advertising and publicity, historical research, securing docents to conduct the tours of each home, cashiers and ticket sales, flowers, printing and tour setup. All CGA board members volunteer for the home tour, but many other volunteers are necessary to support this event each year. 
• Wreath Run 5K| Central Gardens Association's inaugural Wreath Run taking place on Sunday, November 19, 2023
• Membership | Organizes and oversees the annual membership campaign and new neighbor receptions.

Midtown Relationships

This pillar is tasked with organizing and developing relationships between Central Gardens and other neighborhoods, schools, retail, and other organizations around common issues. Jana Larson - Chair

Subcommittees:

• Landmarks, Zoning & Compliance | Responsible for addressing issues related to the neighborhood’s architectural heritage and design guidelines, the Memphis Landmarks Commission, and compliance with current City of Memphis and Shelby County Office of Planning and Development and Construction Code Enforcement regulations. 
• Safety | Responsible for promoting awareness of neighborhood safety efforts, including dissemination of security tips to residents, working to strengthen the Association’s relationship with the Crump Station Police Precinct, sharing information with the Midtown Security Committee, and facilitating subscription to Phelps Central Gardens Patrol.
  
  

Communications

This pillar is tasked with organizing and developing communications for the association within the neighborhood and outside of the neighborhood. This includes promoting all events and sharing community information relevant to Central Gardens. Kathy Ferguson - Chair

Subcommittees:

• Timely communication of information and events is critical to enhancing a sense of community. To that end, we reach multiple audiences through a dynamic and current website and mobile site, quarterly newsletter, monthly e-news for subscribers, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages, and the Central Gardens neighborhood app. All communications are coordinated by volunteers on the committee and through our style guide, which ensures consistency of message and design to promote and safeguard the Central Gardens brand 
  
  Sponsorship & Endorsement | Responsible for securing sponsors for all annual events and soliciting donations for CGA projects. Find out more about sponsoring an event here.

Membership & Engagement

This pillar is tasked with running the annual membership campaign, recruiting volunteers and monitoring board engagement and retention. Barrie Simpson - Chair

Subcommittees:

• Volunteerism | Responsible for soliciting volunteers for CGA events and projects.
• Recruitment| Responsible for recruiting new board members as well as onboarding and monitoring.
• Membership | Organizes and oversees the annual membership campaign and new neighbor receptions.

Operations

This pillar is responsible for the operations of CGA and management of our business activities.
Ben Graham - Chair

Subcommittees:

• Finance | Responsible for setting financial and budgetary objectives and monitoring budgets. 
• Legal | Responsible for advising the board and taking legal action in response to issues affecting the neighborhood. 
• Annual Meeting | Responsible for planning and executing the Association’s Annual Meeting, which traditionally takes place the third Monday in May.