Gardens of Hope 501c3 has gotten off to a rip-roaring start in 2024. Starting with our ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Perris Valley Chamber of Commerce in December, we have introduced this gem to many new groups and individuals in the community.
In February, we visited the University of Riverside to present to the Osher Lifelong Learning Center. This wonderful group has been very supportive of our activities and will visit us in May for a tour.
At long last, we launched the Perris Behavioral Health Ecotherapy Program, bringing nature's healing attributes to the community for group sessions. We're more than halfway through the pilot program, and already, there's a line backing up for the next one! We thank Mr. Wicki and the UC Riverside health system for believing in us!
Liz and I have stepped up as ambassadors for the Perris Valley Chamber of Commerce and are currently working on scheduling some community activities to benefit local businesses.
We launched a partnership with the Perris High School PALS program ( Pathways for Adult Life Skills) and are delighted with the outcome. A group of young adults have joined us weekly for Job training and life skills sessions. We are already discussing expanding the program! Great work, Alejandra and the rest of the team!
We have had two different high school students come out and satisfy community service hours by volunteering in the gardens. One local and one all the way from Germany! Things went so well that we have scheduled a volunteer day Sunday April 21 from 8:00 am til 10:00 am. All volunteers will receive a Gardens of Hope T-Shirt and a tour.
This year, we have been connecting with many like minded individuals and non profit orgs. We are going to be attending the Health and Homesteading Confrence Hosted by the Free Range Farm School and Perfect Chaos Ranch. We will be bringing out fresh microgreens, T-Shirts, Gardens of Hope lip balms and Garden Salves as well as information about Therapeutic horticulture and how to participate. We will also be participating in the Perris Health Fair on April 20 from 8:00 AM til 1:30 PM We hope to see you there!!
We were happy to be invited to attend a local rotary club meeting and look forward to an upcoming tour and activities.
We are planning a Holistic Health Symposium in October, stay tuned for details
Also We are planning a Silent Art Auction and Metaphysical Faire on August 2 also, stay tuned for details.
We are in the process of rolling out classes and workshops and as more of you are showing interest, the calendar will begin to fill up.
Many of you have participated as guests or just by listening to our Healthy Living Podcast. please reach out if you're interested in being featured as a guest or returning to record another episode
Gardens of Hope offers all access to our products and services to Veterans free with proof of service. We have been working with several veterans and We have established a veterans advisory board. We welcome Lora Roberts, Richard Mccuen and Ronie Downie to give us guidance as we move this mission forward.
Our Microgreens fundraiser project is starting to take off! Some of you have enroled in a subscription of regular fresh microgreens and many have found a new love of these nutritious and delicious superfoods! please reach out for more information. We're working on an order form for the website.
We have been able to donate firewood to some veterans this winter and cool spring. We have a dozen or so large eucalyptus trees that will yield many cords of wood for veterans and others in need. We just need some generous arborists to come and drop the limbs so we can do the rest or we will need to raise the money to hire the job. please contact me if you are interested. A reminder, as a 501c3, we are able to offer a tax write off for the full value of any service or donation given.
I want to thank all of those of you that have donated time, talant and resources including a generous donation toward Garden Sinage (stay tuned) Fencing, Containers, Wood and other building materials and plants and seeds. We are very excited about the future as things seem to be really taking off. please contact me if you're interested in participating, ordering microgreens or just taking a tour.