Project focused on growing Decatur gardens

DECATUR, Ill. (AP) - Grace Baity is intrigued by the Kids Club Turtle Creek Garden program.

The sixth grade student at Garfield Montessori School found out about the club from a friend and applied last summer to be one of the apprentices who take care of the garden.

"We were keeping the tools in (social worker Marilyn Stevens') car," Grace said. "I started making bracelets and raising money to buy a shed to keep the tools in."

Kids Club is a cooperative venture between First United Methodist Church and Good Samaritan Inn. On the last Saturday of the month, when Good Samaritan is closed, the church invites kids up to age 12 for lunch and enrichment activities.

'œThe church provides a meal for this population and we've been doing that for about 20 years,'ť said Stevens, a member of the church. 'œAbout 18 months ago, we decided to add a component for young kids and their families. After lunch they come and have activities and stories.'ť

On the wall at Good Samaritan is a large paper tree, and kids who have read books as part of the weekly Kids Club reading program at Good Samaritan can put a paper 'œapple'ť on that tree with their name on it. After the monthly activity at the church, kids receive a book, food items and a seasonal treat. In the summer, they have a garden and learn to plant and cultivate vegetables, which are taken to Good Samaritan Inn and placed in boxes near the door. People who come for a meal can leave with some fresh produce to eat later.

Stevens said the group also makes sure to be available to children eating at Good Samaritan during school breaks, to encourage them to read and to play board games with them.

The gardening program in the summer is for kids ages 10 to 12. The apprentices get paid to help out and learn job and life skills in the process.

The garden is next door to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Illinois, Stevens said, and that organization said Kids Club could put their shed on the organization's property.

'œBig Brothers Big Sisters also collects rainwater from their roof and they have a water barrel, and that's what we use to water the garden,'ť Stevens said. 'œSo it's kind of like a little community there.'ť

Grace made the bracelets, which she dubbed 'œGracelets,'ť and sold them to raise the money for the shed and it took her several months to make enough for the shed, which she bought the weekend after New Year's Day.

Lowe's manager David Ozier also gave a matching donation from the store, which the Kids Club can use to buy more gardening tools.

"I got contacted by the nonprofit organization that the church is involved in for the youth of the city, and they have raised-bed gardening downtown and they needed a storage area for their tools," Ozier said. "We helped them out with a shed and they picked a nice one out and we're going to deliver it in the spring."

Lowe's often helps out community efforts in this way, Ozier said, but this is the first time he's dealt with such a young fundraiser. Usually they're adults.

Grace estimates she has sold about 50 bracelets and is planning to make more because she has only a handful left. She raised $230.

___

Source: (Decatur) Herald & Review, https://bit.ly/2ZXkXAn