A Garden for Marigold Place

It's time for a follow-up on the outstanding community service event that we announced here.  Click to enlarge any of the photos.

ACCOMPLISHED
Let's let the before and after shots speak for themselves.  The site is Marigold Place, subsidized housing for people with disabilities, especially those living with AIDS, on 12th Street, N.E. in the Brookland neighborhood. The project was just one of many sponsored by Greater DC Cares as part of their annual Servathon.

THANKS TO
    * Greater DC Cares, which provided the volunteers, lots of tools, and all of the plants!  Then their volunteer Project Manager Kimberly Rankin knew how to create a good work experience for the 35 volunteers, so they'll keep coming back for more good works.

    * Steve Seuser, executive director of Building Futures (they manage this and one other subsidized housing project), a GREAT GUY with good taste in plants.  He made it all happen.

    * Judy Tiger, recruited by Building Futures to manage the gardening side of the project.  The moving force behind the late and much-missed Garden Resources of Washington, Judy put out a call for help and I volunteered to act as designer and extra gardening instructor.

    * Kevin John Richardson of Pogo Organics also responded to Judy's call - with a truckload of compost and mulch, plus a half-day of hard work teaching everyone how to move and plant trees, even in hardplan.  The "soil" was what might be called  a potter's dream and a gardener's nightmare. 

    * The handsome group of 12 in this photo below are from Social Franchise Ventures.   Their CEO Ben Litalien was the horticultural captain for the entire front landscape.  It's SO nice when someone who knows how to garden (not to mention how to manage workers) volunteers their valuable time.

   *KCIC brought the other large group of volunteers - kudos to everyone -  and a few individuals found their way to the event on their own.  A great group!

   * Robert Ryan Riddle donated daylilies, liriope, and a redbud tree from his very own garden.

PHOTOS:  Top: Great Workers! Left center:  Kevin unloading all that gorgeous compost and mulch.  Lower left:  the gang from Social Franchise Ventures.  Right center: Jeff Becan, Judy, Kimberly awaiting the volunteers.  Lower right:  Steve Before the makeover.  You should have seen his smile when he gazed on the results, shown in the After photos on the right.  Remember they all click to enlarge.

 

Comments

[Ed Bruske]

Another great post about another great project, Susan. We are learning tons about the people who care about the green spaces in D.C. (or the spaces that need greening). Great to see Judy back in action, along with all these other beaming faces.

As I told Judy, I deeply regretted not being able to take part in this project because of my daughter's ballet recital. Then it turned out it was just a lesson this week. The recital is this coming Saturday.

It seems like everything is happening all at the same time.

And yes that is the Kevin I know from Pogo organics. We ran into each other at the recent Schoolyard Greening clinic. And then he was the tour guide for our USDA "organic landscaping" class when we visited Pogo Organics last weekend.

It's quite an operation. I encourage anyone who can to take the tour.