Notice of Non‑Discrimination and Notification of Rights Under Title VI
Gardening and Growing Together
Posted October 01, 2016
For quite some time, a volunteer in Wailuku took on the task to care for the plants in the courtyard area at our Wailuku campus, but because of time constraints, he hasn’t been able to come as often to keep up with the work, so Jordan Kahiamoe, Wailuku Activities Director sent our an email to the Wailuku community staff asking who would like to volunteer their time to take care of the plants in his absence. Janinne Grimes, Wailuku Administrator accepted the task and has been working with Resident, Randy Lonefight who you can often find under the umbrellas taking care of the plants by clearing out the rubbish and leaves from the plants. Janinne asked if she could join her and since then, they’ve been taking care of the plants together, and they’ve created a really special bond in the process.
Here’s what Janinne had to say: “I have been gardening my whole life, and I love it. Our garden makes our community beautiful and I didn’t want it to die. I wanted to take ownership and maintain it so our residents and visitors can enjoy the beautiful scenery. I’ve noticed Randy spending most of her time by the flower beds cleaning them out, taking out the rocks and rubbish and that taking care of the garden seems to give her pleasure. Randy tends to keep to herself and I wanted to make a connection to see if she assistance in taking care of the garden. In the short time that we’ve been working together, I learned that she has a great sense of humor! I have never laughed that hard with a resident before, it’s been a wonderful experience seeing her open up. We are working on developing a garden club for other residents who are interested in maintaining our garden to continue the upkeep of this beautiful environment.”
This demonstrates Eden Principle 2: An Elder-centered community commits to creating a Human Habitat where life revolves around close and continuing contact with plants, animals and children. It is these relationships that provide the young and old alike with a pathway to a life worth living. And Principle 4: An Elder-centered community creates opportunity to give as well as receive care. This is the antidote to helplessness.