One of the projects featured at our Master Gardener Appreciation breakfast was the children's garden at the Extension Office. Heather Hodgin obtained a grant in 2008-09 to build the raised beds and this summer, Jeffco master gardeners worked with a local elementary school, and Home Depot employees to build and plant a garden. Mary Small shared several heart warming stories about the changes gardening made in these children's lives. One child began to write about flowers and another's drawings went from images of violence to images of plants.
Today, I read a quote by Rachel Carson "If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder...he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it..." This is exactly what the gardeners did for the school children at the Extension garden.
And then this story appeared about a group in Denver using gardening to unite generations.
We, dear gardeners, do so much more than grow stuff.