DOWNERS GROVE, IL — National Garden Bureau’s (NGB) annual grant program, Growing for Futures, has selected three therapeutic gardens to receive grants totaling $5,000.
Growing for Futures, started in 2014, is the philanthropic program of NGB that supports the building and growth of therapeutic gardens across North America. The program furthers NGB’s mission of promoting gardening to gardeners and non-gardeners alike.
Over 67,000 voters weighed in, and the three winning gardens are: * Lee College’s Horticulture Program at O. B. Ellis Unit, Huntsville, Texas.
First place vote-recipient; winner of a $3,000 grant.
In 1977, Lee College established an educational/vocational Horticulture Program at the O.B. Ellis Unit correctional facility. This program offers an A.A.S. degree in Horticulture as well as certificates in Horticulture and Landscape Management. Students have additional opportunities through the Texas A&M Master Gardener’s Program. Located within the prison complex, the site includes individual gardens, a community garden, greenhouses, a nursery area, a parakeet aviary, aquaponics enclosure and a classroom/computer lab. The students in the program are convicted felons who come from diverse backgrounds that often include veterans, ex-gang members and others with a history of substance abuse and mental health or emotional issues.
* Vogel Alcove – Early Childhood Education Program, Dallas, Texas.
Second place vote-recipient; winner of a $1,000 grant.
Vogel Alcove offers access to a therapeutic early childhood learning program to young children (216 served to date) affected by homelessness. The program addresses the developmental needs of children with social-emotional, cognitive and physical development. Located in Dallas, Vogel Alcove is a leader in the field of early childhood education of traumatized children. Preschool children enjoy access to therapeutic gardens in “The Backyard,” an outdoor space that includes raised bed vegetable, sensory and wildlife gardens. All activities at Vogel Alcove are coordinated by a Director who has completed a certificate program in horticultural therapy and is a member of AHTA. * The Alice and Herbert Sachs Therapeutic Conservatory and Garden, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania.
Third place vote-recipient; winner of a $1,000 grant.
The Alice and Herbert Sachs Therapeutic Conservatory and Garden is a dedicated space for MossRehab’s clinical horticultural therapy program. It offers patients recovering from traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, stroke, amputation and other complex conditions a beautiful oasis while also offering them an opportunity to meet their rehab goals through horticulture therapy. A registered horticultural therapist is trained in the use of horticulture as a modality for supporting an individual in physical rehabilitation. Patients are able to engage in horticultural therapy through group, individual and co-treat sessions with occupational, physical and speech therapists.
“Caring for plants and experiencing nature brings healing and purpose to people whose lives have been affected by illness, addiction, violence or military service,” comments Heather Kibble, NGB President. “National Garden Bureau, in partnership with local therapeutic organizations, strives to make gardening accessible to everyone, no matter their situation, history or abilities. Our garden grant program impacts individual lives using garden-based education and therapy.”
National Garden Bureau would like to recognize all of the worthwhile grant applicants creating therapeutic gardens. NGB encourages support of these and other therapeutic gardens by the industry, local communities, and individuals: * A New Leaf’s Blooming Acres, Tulsa, OK * A. G. Rhodes Health & Rehab, Atlanta, GA
* Bohles Family Legacy, Shaker Heights, OH * Community GroundWorks, Madison, WI * Empowering Gardens, Forest Park, IL * Growing Gardens of Boulder County, Boulder, CO * Hampton Grows, Inc., Hampton, VA * John Howard Society, Victoria, B.C. * K.L.E.O. Farms, Chicago, IL * Oklahoma County Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension’s Gardens that Help, Oklahoma City, OK * On With Life, Ankeny, IA
* Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office, Milpitas, CA * Sunflower Hill, Pleasanton, CA * Sunstainable Synergy, Inc., Orlando, FL * The Center for Wisdom’s Women, Lewiston, ME * The People/Plant Connection, San Angelo, TX * The Scottish Home, North Riverside, IL
For more information about National Garden Bureau, please contact Diane Blazek.
The National Garden Bureau, Founded in 1920, is a non-profit organization whose mission is to disseminate basic instructions for home gardeners. Annually, NGB publishes and sponsors the New Varieties program and the Year Of The fact sheets featuring flowers and vegetables, including new introductions, which are especially suited to home gardens. National Garden Bureau has also taken an active role in supporting therapeutic gardens through fundraising and grants.
Source: The National Garden Bureau
