Colorado Master Gardeners Partner for Hope
Helping elementary school children in the Butterfly Hope summer garden program measure to confirm the growth of their tomatoes
This is the third year that Colorado Master Gardeners have partnered in a big way with the Butterfly Hope NPO to provide a significant summer experience for Cheltenham Elementary School children in West Denver. Butterfly Hope raises money for and organizes this summer enrichment experience. Director, Cindy Roth, summed up her feelings about MG volunteers in a word, "fabulous".
Ten Colorado Master Gardener volunteers helped with the garden portion of the program for 143 children this summer. In looking at this program from as asset building youth development view, volunteers' one-on-one work with children has to be a positive asset.
CMG Mary Shaver says she sees an amazing response from children when the program adopted this approach. Mary relates the story of one young girl who wore white leotards and white shoes to her first gardening day. She was reluctant to get her clothes dirty and seemed to lack interest in gardening. As Mary drew her out, she challenged her by asking her how she was going to care for the plant "babies". After all, the young plants needed nurturing if they were going to grow tall.
This was all it took. Seeing plants as babies that needed care lit the spark that caused her to dress differently, be the first to dig in to the soil and eagerly begin learning how to care for her new "babies". She also saw results as she learned how to measure every week and do the arithmetic to verify the growth in her charges.
Mary believes that knowing an adult cares, setting up a well-thought-through program to insure success, and entrusting children with nurturing something set the stage for learning important life lessons.
Pieter Aukema had a similar experience over 3 weeks with two girls in the 3rd-5th grade group. Pieter said he felt like a grandfather figure to them.
Betty Kilsberg and Charlene Byers reinforced the importance of building relationships. They helped with the K-2nd grade kids in a second, 3-week program. At the end of the program, one girl stood up and announced that she too wanted to be a CMG someday.
Marilyn Fujiyoshi stated, "I believe that if you want future gardeners you have to start when they are young".
