Rena Barnett has been contributing to the Tyler Arboretum community for 16 years now. She made her way to Tyler via the Philadelphia Unit of the Herb Society of America. Once she started volunteering in Tyler’s Fragrant Garden with the Herb Society, she never stopped. Now, she is a Board Member and the chair of the Horticulture Group. And still volunteering in the Fragrant Garden!
With her robust involvement at Tyler, it is difficult to believe Rena did not even know Tyler existed those 16 years ago. She had retired as an ICU nurse at a VA hospital and was looking for something to do where she could use her nursing skills. She decided to become a member of the Herb Society because she feels a connection with the Earth – wanting to fix it, to help it. Moreover, recognizing early signs of illness in humans is similar to recognizing illness in plants. As part of the Herb Society, she was required to help maintain a garden and Tyler was near her house – so that is how it all started.
In fact, the Herb Society has had a connection with Tyler since 1949 and has helped tend the Fragrant Garden since 1954 when the garden was originally called the Garden for the Blind. When Rena works in the Fragrant Garden, she loves teaching visitors about the history and about herbs, especially all of the various uses they have and how the garden is really a place of sensory exploration.
Rena had such a positive experience maintaining the Fragrant Garden, engaging with visitors, and working with other volunteers, that she took on the role of co-chair of the garden for the Herb Society. When it was time for the former chair to move on to other roles, Rena was ready to step in and take the lead. Since then, she has overseen the expansion of the Fragrant Garden to include the bottom two tiers, almost doubling the size of the space maintained by the Herb Society, and been instrumental in bringing educational events to the garden.
Rena Barnett shares a harvest of lavender from the Fragrant Garden.
She also worked in Lucille’s Edible Garden when it first opened, educating people about herbs there. As she continued to become more involved, she was asked to be on Tyler’s Board. She has now been on the Board for nine years and just signed on for another three!
During her time at Tyler, she has found that the volunteers and those who work at Tyler really love what they do here, which is similar to what she experienced at the VA hospital. And the people she volunteers with have really become like family to Rena. Everyone is at Tyler because they love what they do, they love Tyler, they love what Tyler has to offer, and they enjoy working with each other. She has found it so reassuring as a volunteer to come to a place where she can really connect with the people doing the work.
“Tyler shines because you can do anything,” Rena says. Any person can bring any skills to the table and Tyler will put those skills into use, finding a job that fits you best. Another great thing is that once a person comes and experiences the joys of Tyler, they start branching out and venturing into other areas in which they might not have initially felt comfortable. “You can be anything and volunteer here.”
When Rena is not connecting with people at Tyler, she is busy with her own garden at home and connecting with her close-knit family, including any of her 13 grandchildren scattered from the West Coast to East Coast.
Rena is at many of Tyler’s events. from the Firesides, to volunteer events, to fundraisers. She loves meeting all of the various people who populate Tyler. And she loves to hug people. Someone once told her they started volunteering more just to get the hugs. So if you’re in need of a hug, just look for Rena – chances are you will find her somewhere!
