See some amazing gardens, benefit Growing Hope – it’s a twofer!
This Saturday, June 9, 2012 from 10 a.m to 4 p.m., the Ann Arbor Branch of the Woman’s National Farm & Garden Association is sponsoring the 22nd Annual Garden Walk. Tickets are only $15 and proceeds go to Growing Hope.
Meet homeowner gardeners and be inspired by their labors of love. A quiet, flower-filled courtyard, a city lot overflowing with edibles, and lush beds surrounding a historic home, the gardens on the 2012 Garden Walk promise eye-catching ideas and colorful surprises. Find out what delights are in store; read through the 2012 garden descriptions (pdf) and get a sneak peek at this year’s beautiful spaces.A group of local women garden painters will present a sale of original artworks created from the 2012 gardens over the past year, capturing the beauty of these unique landscapes in watercolors, oils, acrylics and other media. A Garden Marketplace, presented by Artistica in Dexter, will offer a variety of handcrafted garden-related merchandise, including pottery, jewelry, garden art, and more. At one of the gardens, you’ll be able to tour the lower level of an 1845 historic home. At another, view an installation of outdoor sculptures nestled throughout the garden from River Gallery in Chelsea.
Proceeds from the 2012 Garden Walk will benefit Growing Hope, an Ypsilanti-based non-profit dedicated to helping people improve their lives and communities through gardening and access to healthy food. Growing Hope will use the Garden Walk grant to build a hoophouse to serve as a flexible, three-season outdoor classroom and gathering space, create permanent educational signage and accessible pathways, and erect a solar panel for their cistern system. Ann Arbor Farm & Garden’s grant will also enable Growing Hope to benefit from matching funds under a separate challenge grant, so our support this year will in essence go twice as far.
I am a VERY big fan of Growing Hope. I have several friends on their Board of Directors and they are doing some amazing things. They are a a federally recognized, 501c3 nonprofit organization that works to empower local communities to grow and eat healthy food. From their History & Approach page:
Young and old come together to grow their own fresh produce, revitalize their neighborhoods and teach one another the beauty and hope that comes from nurturing soil, seeds and self. Neighbors and vendors gather at our farmers’ market to connect and share around healthy, local food. Advocacy for social justice, self-reliance and healthy lifestyles results in public policy support for healthy food and urban agriculture. Using a strengths-based approach, we work to build people’s capacity to use community and school gardens as vehicles for positive social, economic, environmental and neighborhood change. We advocate for healthy food, manage an urban farmers’ market, and train youth and adults to make positive investments in their future. Growing Hope provides training, resources and advocacy to build strong and vital communities.
The 22nd Annual Garden Walk should be a terrific event and you’ll be benefiting an amazing organization in the process! For more information including how to get tickets, click HERE.
