Volunteer Spotlight: Susan Heck

By Greta Engel

Phipps is well-known for our beautiful gardens, seasonal flower shows, pioneering sustainability initiatives, informative educational programs and community outreach. None of our work, however, would be possible without the knowledge and dedication of our volunteers. In this series of profiles, we meet some of the people who give their time to make Phipps possible.

To achieve the 36 required volunteer hours for the Master Gardener Certificate, Susan Heck began volunteering at Phipps in 2023. She spent most of her first summer volunteering in the Production Greenhouses training the trailing mums. When the fall flower show came around, Susan was so proud to see her hard work on display! She has worked with the mums ever since and looks forward to it each summer. Susan achieved her goal of becoming a Master Gardener in 2023 and has since enjoyed exploring different volunteer opportunities at Phipps!

Recently retired from her 22-year career as a health care executive, Susan has been enjoying her first year off. She and her husband, Jeff, have two sons and two beautiful grandchildren, Charlotte and Jack. Her son Andrew is a sales representative and high school baseball coach, while her son Jared is a college football coach. Susan’s family and their various activities keep her busy! She recalls an advanced biology class in high school as the moment that sparked her love of plants. “I always say I am happiest with my hands in soil,” Susan shares.

While working in the greenhouses, Susan spends her time training mums to trail by clipping them to wire frames. The mums grow about 2 inches every week in the summer making it tedious work. “You have to be very gentle not to break a stem as they only keep 5 stems on each mum,” says Susan. Recently, she has been working in the outdoor spaces at Phipps to help with planting and weeding. Susan has also spent time at the Homewood YMCA for pruning day along with planting and harvesting the raised bed gardens and fruit trees.

When asked about her favorite part of volunteering, it was hard for Susan to pick just one thing.  Though she loves everything about volunteering, Susan especially enjoys learning something new each time she comes to Phipps. She also has enjoyed meeting other volunteers who share her love for plants and gardening. “Phipps is such a community treasure and I am so proud to be able to support it in my small way,” says Susan. Phipps is lucky to have such passionate volunteers like Susan!