2nd place: Cheryl Partin, Gardenville, Garden City, MI
We were thrilled to see that our friends at Gardenville had entered this contest, because it gave us a chance to see how the Frame it All raised beds and solar lights were working in their community garden. We caught up with Gardenville member Cheryl Partin to talk about what winning 2nd prize means to the organization. “Gardenville is flourishing,” she told us, “and this prize will enable us to begin our season even earlier next year. We’ll be using the greenhouse to start planting cole crops and other seedlings in early March.”
Gardenville is a true community garden whose harvests furnish local food banks with fresh produce. Every project has a community flavor—in the spring they plan to install brick paving throughout the garden so people can walk through it and view the beautiful plants more easily. This will be accomplished with donated bricks and assistance from the local bricklayers apprenticeship program. “As more people see what we’re doing, we are able to do more for the community,” Cheryl added.
Even the contest became a community event for Gardenville, whose members utilized their grassroots networks to garner votes. “We’re excited about this win because it was a real community effort, like everything we do at Gardenville,” said Cheryl. “In addition to using Facebook to share the contest, we pounded the pavement to let people know we needed votes. My husband, Kerry, mentioned the contest on his podcast. Maxwell’s Art and Treasures [the business that owns the property on which Gardenville sits] handed out flyers…we even put it in the local paper!”
Congratulations to Cheryl Partin and Gardenville, we’re so glad that your prize will help you continue your mission!
