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Planned Giving

Helen Ayers Detchon

Named in honor of our co-founder Helen Ayers Detchon, DCH’s Planned Giving program recognizes individuals and families who have made a financial legacy commitment to DCH in support of our mission to inspire individuals and communities through the power of plants. Your planned gift of support is the greatest sign of your belief in our role as a leader in greening and ecologically beneficial efforts throughout our state and region.

There are a variety of ways to make a planned gift to DCH, and we have detailed some of those options below. Please talk to your attorney or financial advisor about a comprehensive review of all estate and planned giving options. If you have already included DCH in your estate plans, please let us know, so we may include you as a member in the Helen Ayers Detchon Society, which recognizes friends and benefactors who have included DCH in their long-term financial plans.

Ways To Give

A bequest is a gift of personal property, securities, or cash. There are three levels of bequests:

  1. Unrestricted: DCH can use this gift for a variety of purposes, including contributing to the organization’s long-term sustainability through DCH’s building and operating endowment. Quite often, this is the most helpful, as we can freely determine when and how to use it depending on our changing needs.
  2. Restricted bequest: You, the donor, can specify how the funds will be used. This offers you the chance to donate to a special project or cause of personal significance. If you choose this option, please discuss your wishes with Director of Advancement, Brian Kelley to determine if and how your wishes can be best executed.
  3. Endowed bequest: With this type of bequest, the principal of your gift is held permanently by DCH, and only the investment income is used.
  4.  

This is an easy contractual agreement between a donor and our organization, wherein the donor provides assets to DCH in exchange for our promise to pay a fixed sum to you for life. You can benefit from substantial income and estate tax benefits, if you choose this approach.

By creating a Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT), you give money, assets, and securities to a trust created by you that will pay you an income for life (or a set number of years). The trust can also provide income to other beneficiaries of your choice. The remaining balance goes to DCH at the conclusion of the final beneficiary’s life.

Individual Retirement Accounts, company pension, and profit-sharing plans are other great sources for charitable gifts. If you are over 60 and discover you have more retirement resources than you need, you may choose to donate a portion as a charitable gift. This option could potentially reduce your estate and income taxes.

Giving the gift of your life insurance policy is one creative way of making a gift that might not otherwise be financially possible. If you have a life insurance policy and the beneficiary who originally owned it no longer needs protection, the policy can be transferred to DCH as both owner and beneficiary. This option of donating entitles you to an income tax deduction. This information does not constitute legal advice. Please speak with your lawyer or financial planner to discuss the option best for you.

Sponsor our Winter Greenery Sale and Events

Our winter events are a favorite of the community bringing a variety of visitors to DCH to get in the festive spirit. November 27th – December 2nd will be packed with fun and engaging events from greenery donations, wreath workshops, Art Loop, Holiday Bazaar, greenery sale, and photos with Santa. Find out more about our lineup of events here.

If you’re interested in supporting our event, complete our form below and choose from our various sponsorship opportunities available.

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Rachel Mussaf

Office Manager

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Rachel supports the day-to-day operations and administration of the Delaware Center for Horticulture as Office Manager. With more than 18 years of experience in non-profit administration, education, community engagement, and program management. She enjoys building relationships, keeping things organized, and helping create welcoming spaces where people and organizations can thrive.

Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her husband, Josh, and their two children, Jenna, 17, and Henry, 15. As a family, they love spending time together, exploring new places, and cheering each other on in all of their activities and adventures.

Noah Zeigler

Urban Greening Coordinator

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Noah Ziegler is the Urban Greening Coordinator at DCH where he uses ARC GIS to plot and plan upcoming projects around New Castle County.  He has had a diverse career path that include time with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife and DNREC Environmental Laboratory.  Graduated from West Virginia University with a degree in Environmental and Energy Resource Management and is now working towards his master’s in environmental management from University of Rhode Island.  In his spare time, Noah enjoys camping, playing ultimate frisbee, and playing darts.  

Alexis Bacon

Education Coordinator

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Alexis Bacon is the Educational Coordinator at DCH where she assists with supporting preexisting programs like Branches to Chances and the Urban Conservation Corps and developing additional programming for adult and child education. She has worked in horticulture and sustainability for over ten years, primarily in the public garden world with internships at Scott Arboretum, University of Delaware Botanic Garden, and a variety of roles at the American Public Gardens Association. She received her bachelor’s degree in horticulture from Temple University and a master’s degree in Natural Resources and Sustainable Development from Virginia Tech. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, picnicking, hiking, and camping. 

Ana Pavón

Advancement Coordinator

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Ana is the Advancement coordinator at DCH, where she supports the planning and execution of fundraising and donor engagement activities including fundraising efforts related to DCH’s programs and projects through events, membership, donor stewardship, and community engagement. With several years of experience supporting municipal and non-profit organizations, she brings a strong background in fundraising and membership work, focused on deepening community engagement, building meaningful relationships, and supporting grassroots giving.

Ana holds a B.A in Sustainability and Certification in Environmental Education from Arizona State University. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, home renovation projects, and traveling.

Julia Ehrhardt

Ecological Landscapes Manager

Julia Lo Ehrhardt is the Manager of Ecological Landscapes and Greening where she works with plants and people to create healthy communities that are beautiful, thriving and regenerative. A self-proclaimed plant nerd, Julia has over twenty years of experience in horticulture, conservation, education, visitor services, and volunteer program management. She possesses a BSc. Agriculture, MS Public Gardens Administration (Longwood Graduate Program) and an MPS in Sustainable Food Systems from the Culinary Institute of America. Her career has taken her to the New York Botanic Garden, Longwood Gardens, Mt Cuba Center, and Tyler Arboretum.

In her spare time, Julia grows a multitude of vegetable varieties, dreams up container combinations and incorporates more plants into her 1/3 acre property in Oxford, PA. She shares this space with her car guy husband and his super garage. Julia also expresses her creativity through knitting, cooking and making fermented foods (kimchi and kombucha). She also volunteers with the Chester County Food Bank and the Oxford Area Environmental Advisory Council.

Kesha Braunskill 

Community Forester

Kesha Braunskill is the Community Forester for the DCH, focusing on Wilmington’s greening efforts and fostering lasting partnerships. With experience at the U.S. Forest Service and the State of Delaware, she has engaged communities and municipalities statewide, emphasizing the significance of trees in both traditional and innovative ways. Kesha is an ISA certified arborist and holds a BS from the University of Maryland and a MS from Delaware State University. Kesha is excited to work with the communities in and around Wilmington to encourage a healthy urban forest. Outside of work, she is an artist and wildlife rehabilitator. 

Ann Mattingly

Director of Horticulture

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Ann Mattingly serves as the Director of Horticulture at the Delaware Center for Horticulture, returning to DCH and Wilmington with over twenty years of experience leading horticulture, public space stewardship, and community-centered greening. Her career has woven together the care of plants, places, and people—guiding urban landscape projects and nurturing partnerships that support neighborhood health and connection. Her earlier work helped establish the E.D. Robinson Urban Farm and launch the Delaware Urban Farm and Food Coalition, both of which continue to advance food security and justice today. She brings a steady, collaborative vision to nurturing the city’s green spaces, strengthening the places where people gather, grow, and find connection

Adrienne Spencer

Urban Farm Coordinator

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Adrienne plans and implements the production, sale, and marketing of fresh vegetables and fruits at DCH’s E. D. Robinson Urban Farm at 12th & Brandywine, interacting with visitors and customers at the farmer’s market. She holds a B.S. in Communications from Howard University and is a longtime Wilmington resident. Adrienne is a member of PASA (Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture) and the 2016 Recipient of the Nancy Caroon Travel Scholarship.

 

Jamie Shanklin-Spencer

Urban Agriculture Manager

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As Urban Agriculture Manager, Jamie leads DCH’s efforts to expand equitable food access and sustainable growing practices through urban farming, education, and community partnerships. She manages farm sites, youth programs, and food justice initiatives across Wilmington and beyond.

Jamie is the founder of Messiah’s Market Herbs & Horticulture Inc., where she has developed healing garden spaces, Agri-STEM youth programs, and a year-round farmers market. She currently serves as Chair of the Urban Farm Committee for the Delaware Urban Farm and Food Coalition (DEUFFC) and as Delaware Director for the Mid-Atlantic Black Farmers Caucus. She is also a certified Delaware Master Gardener, as well as Permaculture Design Specialist.

When she’s not growing food or building community, Jamie enjoys homeschooling her children, creating herbal remedies, and restoring connection to land and culture through storytelling and the soil.
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