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Mother Earth caregivers, family agency partner on 'Growing Young Sprouts'

Shown are Caregivers of Mother Earth volunteers Isabel Ward, Sam Zaldana, Amy Dahan, Elle Travis and Julie Spalla. [PHOTO BY PAULA ROBERTS]

By Lightning Reports, Published: July 15, 2024

Caregivers of Mother Earth (COME) recently partnered with the Children & Family Resource Center to build a children’s sensory garden they called “Growing Young Sprouts.”

Led by “Chief Pollinator” Elle Travis, COME aims to connect children with nature to live sustainably and build strong relationships with parents, teachers and Mother Earth. The group serves the needs of children by introducing them to gardening and its benefits to engender a love of nature for a lifetime.

COME received a grant from Four Seasons Rotary Club along with other donations to fund the project. By providing the equipment needed for safety in the garden, as well as materials for the children to observe seeds sprouting and learn how to nurture them all the way to harvest, COME is helping children and families make life-long memories and cultivating future gardeners.

The project involved many volunteers. The Children & Family Resource Center engaged with families in their programs to help grow and then plant the seeds and had “Parents as Teachers” families lead a group connection discussing various plants and their uses. The doulas in the Center’s Maternal Health Program planted a variety of herbs beneficial to laboring and nursing that were planted in the space, and a group of United Way Day of Caring volunteers dug French drains to mitigate standing water.

“The project has been a dream for some time, but there is no way I could have imagined the beautiful space that this incredible team has created,” Executive Director Jamie Wiener said. “I am filled with happiness when I look out and see the colorful glass jars, beautiful plants, hand-crafted musical instruments, and the sweet play space rules painted by our staff and their children. We are so thankful for Elle Travis and the other volunteers for helping us create this joyful space.”

The garden is just one of the many projects that Caregivers of Mother Earth is working on. There is also a new garden and outdoor classroom area coming to Upward Elementary School.

“When people come together in the garden, magic begins happening,” Travis said. “Watching the joy and wonderment in the eyes of children picking their first cucumber or pulling a carrot out of the soil creates lasting memories for our children.”

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