Ivy Tech North, Community Garden
Location:
3800 N. Anthony Blvd Fort Wayne, IN 46805-1489. 260-480-2084
WHAT IF….those who did not have access to a yard could still plant a garden?
WHAT IF…..excess food produced in a garden could be donated to the needy?
WHAT IF…..home-grown knowledge and healthy eating habits could be taught to children by having them grow their own food?
WHAT IF…..science, culinary arts and other students could incorporate a garden into their studies?
WHAT IF…..barriers between individuals could be broken down by spending time together working toward a join project?
WHAT IF…..you could help! Would you?
Ivy Tech’s volunteer master gardener, Nina Thierer (Medical Assisting), has tended many of the flower beds around campus for years. During this time, she envisioned the creation of a community garden for the campus as a means to benefit the environment, create beauty and promote healthy eating, while engaging faculty, staff, students and alumni. The garden is a idea who time has come. Along with Tera Dornfield (Medical Assisting/General Studies) and Cheryl Skiba-Jones (General Studies), the three of them approached the Green Team in late 2011 with the goal to create an Ivy Tech community garden.
This community garden idea “grew” into a formal proposal that was presented to the chancellor’s cabinet in January. The support from senior administrators, particularly Jerrilee Mosier (Chancellor) and Everett Lawson (Facilities), was overwhelmingly positive. The group received a green thumbs up to proceed. The community garden will be realized, and the greater Fort Wayne community will be able to reap the benefits from future harvests.
The garden will be on Ivy Tech’s North Campus to the east of Carroll Hall. This area will be transformed into an oasis for enjoying nature, while providing a place for urban gardens. Planting could get started as early as May 1.
With a minimum $150 donation, a raised bed can be named in someone’s honor or a group honor. These planting beds will then be rented to anyone who would like to plant a flower or vegetable garden. The $20 rental fee (or $15 fee for ground plots) will cover the entire planting season, May through October. So far, funding has been secured for the building of five raised planting beds. Individuals, schools, churches, daycare centers or any other creative subset are being invited to sponsor a planting bed.
Donations for the raised planting beds are being accepted until April 10. Checks should be made payable to the “Ivy Tech Foundation” and write “community garden” in the memo section. Send to Sheri Dunlavy, 3800 N. Anthony Blvd., Fort Wayne, IN 46805-1489.
Contact Information:
Questions can be directed to Sheri at 260-480-2084 or sdunlavy@ivytech.edu.