Club Activities

Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site

The Arbutus Garden Club has been involved with the President Benjamin Harrison Site perennial and shrub garden since the early 1970s. Arbutus member and Docent at the museum, Maxine Clark, saw the need for creating a beautiful garden in the time period of the Presidential Home. The garden design and care was under the direction of Club member Helen Dickinson following its inception. Today Arbutus members take an active part in tending the garden for the visitors to the Presidential Site.

After the opening of The Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site in 1966 the gardens around the home became a restoration project and today are beautifully restored and masterfully cared for by volunteer gardeners who manicure and beautify the presidential estate on a weekly basis throughout the spring, summer and fall. Arbutus Garden Club as noted above has been involved early on in establishing a garden plot with a stone marker as well as assisting in the funding of the installation of a grape arbor using an historic grapevine from the Harrison family.

Coburn Place Safe Haven

Coburn Place offers a unique solution to address domestic abuse in central Indiana. The program is the largest and most comprehensive traditional housing program in Greater Indianapolis specifically designed to meet the wide-range of needs to domestic violence survivors and their children. They transform battered lives by healing painful emotions, teaching valuable life skills, and fostering financial independence and long-term self sufficiency.