It may take a village to raise a child but it takes a community to build a garden and the enthusiastic citizens of Lynn Valley gathered recently to build one.
Under the leadership of the North Shore Community Garden Society, the new Lynn Valley Lions Community Garden at 3590 Mountain Hwy. (at Frederick Road), will soon be open to the public.
The Lynn Valley Lions Club, District of North Vancouver, Vancity Community Foundation and the Evergreen Foundation are among the community partners that donated significant funds and volunteers to the project.
When I first arrived at the garden it was clear the site was well organized with all of the volunteers gainfully contributing to building the garden, which is not always the case at such events. I met with the society's president, Maja Regehr, to learn firsthand how and why the garden is being built. Before she retired, Regehr was a social worker. She is also an avid gardener. It seems her former profession and current passions are perfectly matched for the task of building community gardens.
I asked Regehr why she chose to develop community gardens. "I wanted a change from my career where there were few laughs and not enough joy. Building gardens can be tiring but there are often lots of smiles and plenty of laughter," she said. That's reason enough but Regehr went on to say, "These gardens build community by enabling people to do something constructive together and they get to know each other in the process."
Regehr struck me as dedicated, focused and enthusiastic. But she was part mom, part social worker and part manager as she talked with me while simultaneously dealing with requests from the volunteers.
Do you think people will grow veggies or ornamentals in the garden's plots, I asked her. "Oh definitely veggies. There may be some plants to look at but people want healthy food to eat, which is one of the main purposes of these gardens," she said.
If you have never volunteered at a community garden it's very inspiring to see how contributing to building something can elevate a person's sense of pride and confidence. A case in point, while I spoke with Regehr we watched a lady driving a small farm tractor to load soil. No big deal right? Except, Joy Russell, aka the tractor lady, does not have a driver's license, has not driven a car in 25 years or ever driven a tractor.
So, I watched as Russell focused intensely on driving the tractor, being careful not to run over volunteers, getting full bucket loads and successfully dumping soil into waiting wheelbarrows. Her face was in a state of full concentration for a long time. I thought she was so focused she was not having fun. Then she dumped a full load of soil into two wheelbarrows at once. Her face lit up with a big bright smile full of happiness and a sense of accomplishment. It was a peak moment for me and hopefully for her.
During my interviews I always talk to the people on the ground, not just the project leaders. So I asked several volunteers the same question: Why are you here?
Here's how they answered. Kelly Jenner, a mother who has a garden at home, wants to help other people enjoy a garden. Valerie Langford, a 30-year resident, wants to meet new people and learn about gardening. Sue Ansell, a holistic nutritionist, desires to reconnect with the soil and healthy food. Dakota McGovern, 15, was looking for something to do and wants to get a garden plot to grow cool plants. Next was budding entrepreneur, Dylan Bamforth of Gorilla General Contracting. He is the carpenter for the project and a Lions Club member who wanted to lend his expertise to build the garden's shed. Maryhelen McCormick, who made me laugh, is a single mom and Scout leader who spends a lot of time with kids and wants to help the community and reconnect with adults. Alina Carnogursky, of Vancity, passionately told me, "To put our principles into action on the ground."
Eric Miura, third vicepresident of the Lynn Valley Lions said, "Our motto is 'To serve' and I wanted to serve on the ground and not just write cheques." And lastly, I spoke with the hardworking and somewhat shy Robert Webb, president of the Lynn Valley Lions Club. Webb's father was one of the Lynn Valley Lions' founding members in 1971. Webb answered by telling me, "I grew up here, I work here and I want to serve here to help shape my community."
I am sorry I did not have time to speak to all the hardworking volunteers that day. But to all of the volunteers building community gardens out there, your efforts are making our children's future brighter. northshorecommunitygardensociety. ca
Todd Major is a journeyman horticulturist, garden designer and builder, teacher and organic advocate. [email protected]
