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Archive of earlier newsletters
New Staff
Christopher Cross was recently appointed Development Director at Growing Gardens. Chris spent over twenty-five years directing fundraising programs for national and community-based nonprofit organizations before joining our staff. He will be working with the Board of Directors, staff, and volunteers with the fundraising efforts that support our many different programs.
As he begins his efforts, Chris is seeking two part-time volunteers to help with research and administrative support. To learn more about these interesting opportunities, please contact him directly at (303) 652-8186 or (303) 652-2218.
Ben Turner -We are happy to welcome a new grower for the Cultiva Youth Project, Ben Turner. Ben was a volunteer with Cultiva last summer and a community gardener. Ben brings a calm perspective and a great passion to the garden and we are excited that we’ll be able to attend lots more Farmers’ Markets with his help. We plan to be at all the Wedensday Markets during the summer and to attend the Saturday markets later into the fall. Please stop by our stand or garden to meet Ben—he’ll be the one with lots of curly red hair and a big smile.
Cathy Chittum-We are happy to welcome Cathy as our new Community Garden Coordinator. Cathy comes to Growing Gardens with a wealth of administrative and gardening knowledge and experience. She is a Master Gardener, Master Composter and a previous community gardener at Hawthorn. She has helped to make the Kerr Community Garden a reality.
Events & Activities
May 9-
Application deadline for Cultiva
May 17 and 18
Ginormous Plant Sale
Iris and Broadway
May 27
CPR Certification &
First Aid
Tuesday
9am-1pm
June 3-
Start of Cultiva
Sept 10
Cultiva Harvest Dinner
Breakfasts in The Garden
June 25, 2008-
Wednesday 7am- 10am
-Bike to Work Day!
July 23, 2008
- Wednesday 8am- 10am
August 10, 2008
- Sunday 8am- 10am
September 13
Saturday 8-10 am
THE GINORMOUS PLANT SALE IS COMING!!!!!
When:
May 17 and 18
Time:
8:30 - 4 pm
Where:
Corner of Iris and Broadway
Great Heirloom Tomatoes
***Organic Veggies***
Water Wise and Natives***
Gorgeous Annuals and Perennials***Expert Advice
There will be a silent auction of 2 Jack Johnson tickets at this event!
Growing Gardens at RED ROCKS!!!
On August17th Growing Gardens will be participating in the Village Green at the Jack Johnson Concert at RED ROCKS. The Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation, will issue a direct
donation to Growing Gardens in the amount of $500 to support our projects. In order to inspire
additional donations and community support, we will receive a second matching contribution,
after the concert. The Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation will match every dollar we are
able to raise through the All At Once match from March 1-September 14, up to $2500. The match includes donations made at the concert, or directly to our organization. Please tell your friends and help us meet this great challenge.
We hope to see you there and if you weren't able to get tickets...
There will be a silent auction of 2 Jack Johnson tickets at the GINORMOUS PLANT SALE! This concert is is sold out but you can still go! Come to the plant sale!
At the concert you can visit, All At Once ,a dynamic new interactive community
empowering fans to take action toward a healthier
community and planet—based on the concept that
individual action, multiplied by millions, creates global
change.
The All At Once campaign can be experienced both online at www.AllAtOnce.org and at the
Village Green, a focal point of every Jack Johnson concert. Online, fans can become a
member of the community, get free downloads, learn how to reduce their environmental
impact by carpooling to concerts, reducing plastic use and volunteering. The interactive
Village Green is the website brought to life. It educates and activates fans to take action while
offering the opportunity to connect personally with local, national, and international non-profits,
including ours!
Explore www.AllAtOnce.org
Save the Date- ¡Cultiva! Harvest Dinner SEPT 10, 2008
We are excited to announce that we will be moving to the Spice of Life Event Center for the 9th Annual ¡Cultiva! Harvest Dinner. Mark your calendars and join us for a fall celebration of the wonderful youth of ¡Cultiva! . We are always in need of Silent Auction items, if you can think of anything to donate, please call Vanessa 303- 413- 7248 x1. Be creative- almost anything will work from gift certificates, to artwork or crafts, items for the home or garden, and travel items. Thanks for your help!
Breakfasts in the Garden
Breakfast in the Garden is a great time to invite your friends, family and neighbors to enjoy a beautiful morning in the gardens and learn about Growing Gardens.We will continue our monthly Breakfast in the Garden again this season. It’s a great chance to grab a cup of coffee or orange juice and breakfast munchies and check out what is happening in the Community Gardens, the Cultiva field, the Greenhouse, the Able Garden and the Children’s Peace Garden.
The dates for Summer 2008 are:
June 25, 2008- Wednesday 7am- 10am -Bike to Work Day!
July 23, 2008- Wednesday 8am- 10am
August 10, 2008- Sunday 8am- 10am
September 13 Saturday 8-10 am
ADULT CHILD INFANT CPR AND FIRST AID AVAILABLE
Certification class is going to be offered at the greenhouse on
Tuesday May 27
9am-1pm
Cost $50(13 or more participants) $65 (for less than 13)
Contact Annie at annie@growinggardens.org or 303-413-7248 ext4
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Important Community Garden Dates
May 1:
Plots need to worked or will be reassigned
May 2:
Kerr Community Garden opening day
May 3:
Hawthorn work day 9:00am -1:00pm
May 3:
Kerr Community Garden Orientation 10am
May 14:
Deadline for plot refunds
June 15:
No cars allowed in the Hawthorn Community Garden
Kerr Community Garden at Harney Lastoka Open Space
Harney-Lastoka Open Space is a property jointly owned by Louisville, Lafayette, and Boulder County Parks and Open Space. In 2004 a management plan was adopted by all three agencies to guide future use of the property. The main goals stated in the management plan are to retain the rural, agricultural character of the property, protect the history of the site, act as an open space buffer between cities, and also to provide community facilities that reflect these goals. 
The Kerr Community Garden, located at the Harney Lastoka Open Space will open to the public on May 2nd. The garden will provide 41 garden plots, consisting of 27 in-ground plots, 10 raised beds and 4 handicap accessible raised beds. Growing Gardens will be managing the garden at this exciting new location.
Important Community Garden Dates
May 1: Plots need to worked or will be reassigned
May 2: Kerr Community Garden opening day
May 3: Hawthorn work day 9:00am -1:00pm
May 3: Kerr Community Garden Orientation 10am
May 14: Deadline for plot refunds
June 15: No cars allowed in the Hawthorn Community Garden 
I have found, through years of practice, that people garden in order to make something grow; to interact with nature; to share; to find sanctuary,to heal, tohonor the earth, to leave a mark. Through Gardening, we feel whole as we make our personal work of art upon our land.- Julie Moir Messervy, The Inward Garden
A Garden always gives back more than it receives
- Mara Beamish
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Growing Gardens Wish List
15 passenger
Cargo Van for the Farmer’s Market
Wheelbarrows
Wheelbarrow tires
Flower cooler
Items for the Silent Auction
Temporary office space!
Cultiva
May 9-
Application deadline for Cultiva
June 3-
Start of Cultiva Cultiva
FRIDAYS
Harvest for Farmers Market 3:30-5:30
volunteers welcome
BEE Keeping Information
Sonyamarie Hueftle
snowpens@gmail.com
Spring is here and the ¡Cultiva! Youth Project is hiring teens for the summer!
¡Cultiva! involves diverse teenagers in organic gardening as a means to teach youth sustainable agriculture, leadership, entrepreneurial and life skills. The youth manage a two-acre organic garden and 9 bee colonies. Produce is sold weekly at the Boulder County Farmer's Market allowing the youth to generate income for their project and learn business skills. Teens give back to the community by donating a portion of their produce to Community Food Share and the Boulder Shelter for the Homeless. 
The youth also attend cooking classes taught by local chefs in partnership with Slow Food Boulder, where they learn to prepare and eat what they have grown in the garden. The youth learn leadership and mentoring skills by teaching younger children in the Children's Peace Garden. In addition, the youth learn civic responsibility and give back to the larger community by participating in community service projects.
If you know a teen (ages 11-19) who wants more than just a summer job have them check out our website www.growinggardens.org for an application.
Application Deadline is May 9, 2008 Call Vanessa for more information 303- 413- 7248 x1 or email her at vanessa@growinggardens.org
Bee Story
- by ¡Cultiva! Youth Leader, Sonya Hueftle
Eight years ago I was terrified of bees. Just the thought of them would make me shudder. Whenever I was outside and hear a buzz, my first thoughts would be of how to get away so that it would not sting me. This fear that I had, most likely came from the not- so good bee experiences that I had had when I was eight. My mom was beekeeping with, one of our own growers, Julie Finley. I wanted to find out what was so exciting about bees, so I was permitted to stand about fifteen away and watch the commotion. From what I remember, their bee exploration seemed to be going pretty well. Although they had about a million bees around them, I felt completely safe by my distance. That was until one of the bee boxes got dropped. The next instance I realized there was a swarm of bees heading right toward me, because I happened to be standing in the bee line. My sense of panic did not catch up to what was happening until after about ten bees had already stung me. And when I say me, I mean my head where the bees got trapped. I had long dark curly hair that even light got lost in. By then I was so confused that I just started running. The rest of my memory is blanked from my mind. All I know is that my head hurt for about two weeks, and I thought I would never place myself 
That seemed to set the precedence until I joined Cultiva four summers ago. I was a bit timid going out to the hives, but by coincidence Julie was the adult in charge of the hives, so I decided to try it out. This time I got to wear a bee netted hat, which would keep the bees out of my hair, and I also got to stand right next to the hive while Julie opened the box. She had such calmness around the bees that I had never noticed before. She opened the box and quietly whispered to the female worker bees of what she planned to do. Telling them how she only planned to open the back part of their tiny home then close them back up again. I was amazed at Julie’s extreme caring ability around the bees. Treating them as humans, or possible even better. I realized the every time I went with the bees, I became relaxed, so I signed up to do it as many times as I could. Julie taught us how to respect the bees for doing their part to make the world a better place. From this teaching, I am now one of the Cultiva Youth Leaders on the beekeeping committee. By doing so, I hope to inspire other youth and kids to find a more meaningful connection to the bees.
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Peace Garden Sessions
June 16-June19 Gardening ABC’s
June 23-June 27
Bugs, Butterflies and Bees
July 14-July 17
Art in the Garden
July 21-July 24
Tasty Treats from the Garden
For more information or to register for the Children’s Peace Garden field trips, please contact Annie Sweeney at 303-413-7248 x 4. or annie@growinggardens.org
The goals of the Children’s Peace Garden include children learning about local food, organic gardening practices, the importance of biodiversity and community, and reconnecting with the Earth through experiential gardening activities.
Classroom Visits
This year we have expanded the Children’s Peace Garden by offering Classroom Visits by our staff into local elementary schools. Classroom visit themes include: Plants and their Edible Parts, Insects and Pollinators, and Composting. Call Annie to have part of the garden brought into your classroom!
Children’s Peace Garden Summer Camp 2008
The Children’s Peace Garden is offering four day summer camps with four different themes this year! Summer camp runs Monday – Thursday from 9am-3pm. The cost is $190 for each four day session of the summer day camp.
June 16-June19 Gardening ABC’s
June 23-June 27 Bugs, Butterflies and Bees
July 14-July 17 Art in the Garden
July 21-July 24 Tasty Treats from the Garden
Garden Field Trips
Field trips to the Children’s Peace Garden can be scheduled April 1 – October 1. While on a field trip, students participate in three hands-on learning stations led by Growing Gardens staff and interns.
Here is a sample of what to expect:
Popular Field Trip Activities:
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Field Trip Themes:
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The field trip themes and activities have been chosen based on the rhythms of the garden growing season in relation to the school year, the goals of the Children’s Peace Garden and the relevance to Colorado Model Content Standards with which each grade level must comply.
Creating Me
- By Alicia Scherliss
My aspiration to become a teacher took root as I was standing in a flowerbed, reflecting on my summer at Growing Gardens, and reminiscing over my time with the children whose contagious laughter, boundless curiosity and interminable depth, opened my heart and gave purpose to my existence.
My involvement in Growing Gardens began the summer after my junior year. Initially, I contributed to the garden through my involvement in the Cultiva Youth Project. During this time I learned leadership, communication and other essential life skills. For two days a week I engaged in strenuous, yet rewarding, activities such as digging, mulching, transplanting and weeding. At first weeding felt tedious, but after a while the task became meditative, therapeutic even.
I found that there is an art to weeding. Much like life’s obstacles, you must be patient and get to the root. If I only touched the surface the weed would continue to regenerate. Some weeds were thorny and if I got too hasty they pricked my hands. Weeding taught me to be deliberate and thorough.
One day, after work in the field, I sat by the stream to rejuvenate. Dipping my heels in the cool water, I could hear children laughing over the sigh of the wind. It wasn’t long until curiosity got the better of me. That day as I walked over to the Children’s Peace Garden, something magical stirred inside of me. Unbeknownst to me, this was the day my dream began to bloom.
There is no adequate word to encapsulate how profoundly I was affected by my experiences within the Children’s Peace Garden. I can, however, express that it was in the Children’s Peace Garden that I realized I wanted to devote my life to instructing and inspiring children. 
I recall all the heartwarming times I spent with the little ones. Those sweet summer days when I demonstrated how a butterfly flies and the kids flapped their arms, maybe they thought if they moved their limbs fast enough they would turn to wings, and they would be lifted into the sky.
I remember arts and crafts time when every few seconds the kids would come running up for confirmation, “Do you like my picture, Alicia?” They asked with wide, beseeching eyes. I loved oohing and ahhing even at the simplest of pieces because it brought crescent smiles as big as the moon to their lips.
Story time was when the girls argued over who had the rights to my lap, which invariably ended in me getting squashed and suffocated under six squirming bodies. But as soon as I started to read, all movement came to a standstill. The kids sat, their mouths parted as if they were drinking my words. When I paused to turn the page, they craned their necks, trying to get closer to the sound of my voice. These were the moments that I cherished most.
My work at the Children’s Peace Garden opened doors for me, motivating me to take risks and to extend myself in many aspects of my life. After volunteering in the Children’s Peace Garden I had the opportunity to travel to Quito, Ecuador where I established several connections for future work in schools and orphanages. It also inspired me to volunteer at a local preschool, where I served as an assistant teacher this past fall, an activity I will be continuing in the spring.
My involvement with Growing Gardens was a formative and enlightening experience which left me feeling more grounded and confident not only in myself, but also in my goals for the future. I realize now that I have a purpose, and that is to teach. I like to think of myself as a watering can, and the children of my future as seeds. They hold so much potential, I want to watch them grow!
"Your self is not something you find, it is something you create.”
-unknown
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MONDAYS
Imagine! CORE class
held in
Able Garden at
Hawthorn Garden
1-2pm
TUESDAYS
Imagine! Out and About
held in
Able Garden at
Hawthorn Garden
9:30-11am
WEDNESDAYS
Association For Community Learning
Held at their garden
Wednesdays at 3:30pm
Employment Link
to be scheduled
for information contact :trudy@growinggardens.org
Good Eats
The Able garden program is now available for short feild trips. If your group would like to participate in the garden for a planting or craft activity or to just come and enjoy the atmoshphere, we are available to accommidate your interests.We are enjoying the spring with seed planting, salad making and much more! 
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Greenhouse Open Hours and Volunteer Days Spring
All Open Hours are held at the Greenhouse 1630 Hawthorn
Weekly Open Hours
Tuesdays 9 to 1
Wednesday 9 to 3
Thursday 9 to 1
Fridays 2 to 5
Starting February 21st to May 29th
contact Julie at 303-413-7248 ext 5
or julie@growinggardens.org if you would like to volunteer
Other Volunteer Opportunities
Pre Ginormous Plant Sale Load up and Set up
2:30 to 6:30
May 17th and 18th Growing Gardens and Master Gardeners Ginormous Plant Sale (off site)
Please contact Growing Gardens to schedule your time slot and task for the Plant Sale
Working with Growing Gardens has given me the opportunity to meet fellow passionate and generous volunteers committed to giving back to the community. I¹ve created lasting bonds with friends and supervisors who are always enthusiastic to further educate me on sustainable agriculture. Volunteering with the organization has inspired me to motivate others to practice organic farming, which is the start to crafting a long lasting sustainable community.
INVST Volunteer –Kristen Hartel
Garden Tenders and Tender Volunteers
The following article was contributed by Jane Spencer, a neighbor, fellow gardener, friend and volunteer for Growing Gardens. Growing Gardens is privileged to have volunteers like Jane come to lend a hand, help to meet our goals and to reach the families we serve. Volunteer opportunities are listed below, please come join us. - Julie Finley
My gardening devotion started when my gentle, sweet, and always optimistic Grandpa would guide me through his small, backyard garden. While commenting on his vegetables, he would stoop to pull up the feathery top of a carrot, brush off the dirt with his fingers and hand it to me. I would crunch into that bright flavor of stored-sun and earth-grit. And then we would stand quietly in our connection to the earth and each other. I’ve been hooked on gardens and gardeners ever since.
Recently, while hanging out in the greenhouse,(they call it volunteering; I call it
relaxation), we were talking about those gardening connections and I remarked that it “all comes back to the garden.” It is almost everything to me. It is there that I remember who I am. With feet firmly planted in the dirt, my head in the clouds, dreaming the hope of another year of nurturing life, I listen to bird songs and watch my dog, Maggie, enthusiastically deadhead old raspberry canes. It is the hard work, the sweaty smells, the thirsty feeling that hollers out, “I am a human animal and I am “ALIVE!” It is the web of gardeners and farmers everywhere and everywhen tending this beautiful planet, our dear mother Earth. It is the antidote to fear, selfishness, and isolation. It is a
political commitment to healthy food for all people. It is resting with Maggie under the shade of the hawthorn recognizing that not all gardeners are human. It is the anniversary dinner for my husband all fresh and homegrown. It is the Christmas raspberry pie, one last reminder of the previous summer. It is
the glory and meaning of this life – the primordial connection of seed, weather, care and harvest.
At the greenhouse, it is the celebration of the gardener’s commitment and understanding that we are in this together. We are all vital and essential to the continuation of all that is good about this life and this planet. It is laughter,
generosity, knowledge shared and friendship given. It is a joy and privilege and I feel so grateful to be able to be there.
Growing Gardens Greenhouse Open Hours and Volunteer Days Spring
All Open Hours are held at the Greenhouse 1630 Hawthorn
Weekly Open Hours
Tuesdays 9 to 1
Wednesday 9 to 3
Thursday 9 to 1
Fridays 2 to 5
Starting February 21st to May 29th
Other Volunteer Opportunities
March 3rd from 8:30 to 12:00
April 18th 8:30 to 5:00
April 19th I Volunteer Day with the Volunteer Connection 8:00 to 1:00
Pre Ginormous Plant Sale Load up and Set up 2:30 to 6:30
May 17th and 18th Growing Gardens and Master Gardeners Ginormous Plant Sale (off site)
Please contact Growing Gardens to schedule your time slot and task for the Plant Sale
Please contact Julie at Julie@growinggardens.org or 303 413 7248 with any questions.
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OUR WONDERFUL HARDWORKING BRILLIANT AND WITTY :
Board of Directors
PresidentClark Driftmier
Vice President:John Lainson
Treasurer: Sue Easterlin
Secretary: Michelle Leifeste
Laura Coblintz
Julia Wrapp
Lianne Shepherd
Jim Hagen
Leni Wilsmann
Mark Retzloff
Growing Gardens Staff:
Ramona Clark–
Executive Director
Vanessa Keeley–
Deputy Director, Director of ¡Cultiva!
Christopher Cross–
Development Director
Julie Finley–
Outreach and Education Director
Annie Sweeney–-- Children's Peace
Garden Coordinator
Cathy Chittum-
Community Garden Coordinator
Trudy Cronan–-- Horticultural Therapy Coordinator
Ben Turner-¡Cultiva! Grower
¡Cultiva! Youth Leaders
Chris Briardy
Maria Cabeza
Sebastian Cabeza
Sonya Hueftle
Carolina Lasater
Lucas Pelle
Sam Streeter
Rachel Smith
Bernabe Soto
Kyle Wilshusen
Elena Zamora
We strive to recognize all of our donors and apologize if any name was inadvertently omitted.
Please let us know.
$30,000-75,000 Eleanor and Henry Hitchcock Charitable Foundation $10,000-$29,999
$500-$999
Bradley and Loretta Arbogast |
$100-$499 Ketul Arnold $1-$99 Mary Jo Bode Gardenship Fund Contributors
TBA A Big Thanks to All Who Donate in 2008
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In Kind Donations Albert's Organics Colorado Gardener Fleet Feet Sports Glacier Homemade Ice Cream Guided Heights Hungry Toad |
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