Cultivating Young Minds

Three Rivers Garden Club is pleased to be responsible for the Rome Federated Garden Clubs 2009 - 2011 community project. Three Rivers is partnering with the Boys and Girls Club of Rome to install a vegetable and flower garden on the grounds of the Boys and Girls Club in south Rome.

The goal of Cultivating Young Minds is to help children cultivate an interest in vegetables and gardening and to promote the simple pleasures of growing and harvesting vegetables and flowers. Cultivating Young Minds will become an ongoing project of the Boys and Girls Club through the formation of a Junior Garden Club in 2010.

The dream of Cultivating Young Minds started its journey to reality with the donation of a master plan drawing by John Schulz, landscape artist, and his offer to provide labor and know-how to get the garden installed. The garden consists of 22 raised beds, most of which will be devoted to vegetable gardening. A gazebo will grace the center of the garden and visitors will enter underneath arches.

In order to accomplish the goal of  instilling an appreciation of gardening, and the rewards of harvesting your own food, John Schulz is giving the Boys and Girls Club an educational package containing lesson plans and projects so the children served by the Club can actively participate in maintaining the garden into the future.

Cultivating Young Minds is being funded through donations of money, goods, and services. Many thanks to our sponsors who purchased a raised bed in our garden.

Dear

Our garden has been a busy place! Installation and planting of the beds was completed as of June 15, 2009. We were able to purchase the magic dirt and install the irrigation system. The pea gravel walkways are in place. Our next goal is the installation of the gazebo and the archways. Students at Georgia Northwestern Technical College will oversee this project during the spring 2010 semester.

Summer vegetables have given way to fall/winter veggies: onions, collards, cabbage and turnips. Everyone involved with the garden has enjoyed the planting and harvesting. Already, many a meal at the Club has been built around the fresh vegetables! The jalapeno peppers were so prolific, the children had to make jars of peppers sauce to use up the bounty! Who knows what will happen when the fall vegetables start coming in?

Many thanks to the following individuals, families, and businesses for their support of our project through the purchase of a raised bed. Two beds are still available to sponsor. If you are interested, please contact Diane Harbin at 706.235.6292.

Lovejoy Baptist Church

In memory of Sherry Bacon

Tommy Lam

Villa Hizer

Living & Giving

in honor of John Schulz

Georgia Northwestern Technical College

in memory of Lewis Mixon

in memory of William N. Morris, Sr.

in memory of Jane Judd & Jane Harbin

John Barnett

Tica Berry in memory of Tom Berry

David Jacobs

Drs. Rebekah & Darrell Lowery

Mather Mechanical

James Shaw

100 Black Men/Mt. Aventine          Neighborhood Assoc.

The Howell Family

Carol McCann

in memory of Doyle Watson

Lynne Clifton

Dr. & Mrs. Joel Todino

Bekeart Employees

Fred Burmbaugh

Ginger Bogue