HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW?

Although still in its infancy the Lady Bug Art Garden project has been eagerly accepting new challenges and opportunities. Eco Rangers, Vancouver Life Skills, Alternatives and NS Options recently joined together to plant the annuals in the flower gardens at McDonalds Head Office in Burnaby. For most of the supported persons participating in this venture, this was their first time communing with nature on this scale. In spite of a few torrential down pours, and at times muddy conditions, everyone braved the elements and tackled the task with enthusiasm. The project took eight days to complete and many people had an opportunity to participate, learn new skills, earn some money and see if this is something they would like to do on an ongoing basis. The folks at McDonalds were very friendly, accommodating and commented daily on how great the flowers looked and what a great job everyone was doing. The best thing about gardening is that you see the results of your efforts in a relatively short period of time. In my opinion there is nothing more gratifying then turning a weedy patch of ground into a colorful work of art. In this case the work of art was laid out for us by the staff at McDonalds, which took the guesswork out of where to place the 250 flats of flowers. All in all it was a great experience, an excellent learning opportunity and I’m confident that this will pave the way to providing training, skill development and a multitude of employment opportunities in the future for person served. Thanks go out to Kam Eddie who was instrumental in facilitating this project, to Marleny, who came out to take pictures and quickly became a welcome addition to our group with her pleasant disposition and willingness to participate with the planting part of the project. To all the staff who were a part of this project, to the McDonalds staff who offered lunch on them as a bonus and for the many smiles and encouragement in all kinds of weather.
 
Written by Rosemary Schwarz