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Our Projects
Click on a photo below to learn more about our gardens, Education Outreach, or pressed flower creations.
Meridian Township Safety Gardens Project
Fire and Police Gardens
May 18, 2019
Fire and Police Gardens
May 18, 2019
Initial Idea and Planning: Fall of 2018, the Meridian Township Police Department asked the Meridian Garden Club to add a garden outside of their building. The Fire Station also needed help improving their gardens. After brainstorming, the club endorsed the idea of incorporating youth from Meridian Township schools in the project. Youth involvement in a community service project made this undertaking plausible and fit with out garden club’s mission.
Our Youth Education Committee, Simar Pawar, Melody Potter and Georgia Styka, contacted the superintendents of Haslett and Okemos School Districts to discuss basic details and mission for the volunteers. With the superintendents’ encouragement, both schools’ athletic directors and varsity football coaches were contacted. The event was open to all students and student athletes from both school districts as well as any parents, to contribute their time and effort to an important community project.
Once the schools were on board with the project, MGC started planning landscape design, budgeting, site preparation, general per-missions and materials to be purchased.
Haslett: Varsity head coach Charlie Otlewski was enthusiastic about the project. Haslett High School was represented by members of the football program and student athletes from other sports. A few Haslett alumni also took time to come out and serve the community. The Haslett team prepped, planted, and mulched the police gardens and finished the task by cleaning up the site. In addition, they helped weed and mulch the farmhouse gardens, mulched the Okemos Post Office garden and helped finish the Fire Station work.
Okemos: ACTION, the Okemos football program and members from the hockey and tennis teams participated in this community project. Varsity football coach, Mike Krumm, gave his players the responsibility for signing up and communicating with Meridian Garden Club. Rovic Ines took the initiative to coordinate his team with MGC. Aparna Krishnamurthy was the coordinator on behalf of ACTION.
The athletic team volunteers took on the Fire Station, while the ACTION members planted and mulched the chapel garden and weeded the gazebo area. The student athletes completely weeded, pruned, planted and mulched the fire station gardens.
Fire and Police Department: The Fire and Police Chiefs, Mike Hamel and Ken Plaga, and their staffs collaborated with the student athletes at their respective buildings to encourage a positive interaction between the two parties. This project’s main mission was to show youth the importance of community pride and service, with the servicemen leading by example. The fire and police service unions and Meridian Garden Club provided refreshments for the volunteers.
Behind the Project: This project would have not been possible without the Capital Area Master Gardeners' and Meridian Garden Club's financial donations. The Design and Landscaping team (Tressa McAllister, Miriam Minshall and Dick Von Tersch) worked to design garden plans, mark the flower beds, research and obtain plants. Georgia Styka coordinated with Meridian Township for MISS DIG markings, extending irrigation, and adding mulch, soil and Dairy Doo. District II B youth group coordinator, Ronnie Dush, was available to guide the volunteers. Mr. Lee “Buzzy” McAllister worked long after the volunteers had left, cleaning up the site. Sue Wittick helped by taking pictures of the event.
Garden club volunteers included Carole Armstrong, Kris Belonge, Nita Campbell, Colleen Hyslop, Lee and Tressa McAllister, Miriam Minshall, Linda Mogyoros, Simar Pawar, Melody Potter, Georgia Styka and Dick VonTersch, who taught the proper techniques for planting. He explained fundamentals of preparing and planting, mulching and future care of gardens to student athletes. This project was possible because of the great turnout of volunteers. More than 60 students and 20 adults volunteered. Despite the volunteers’ busy weekend (prom and senior party), it was a true inspiration to witness the good humor, hard work and determination of all involved to see the project completed .
Our Youth Education Committee, Simar Pawar, Melody Potter and Georgia Styka, contacted the superintendents of Haslett and Okemos School Districts to discuss basic details and mission for the volunteers. With the superintendents’ encouragement, both schools’ athletic directors and varsity football coaches were contacted. The event was open to all students and student athletes from both school districts as well as any parents, to contribute their time and effort to an important community project.
Once the schools were on board with the project, MGC started planning landscape design, budgeting, site preparation, general per-missions and materials to be purchased.
Haslett: Varsity head coach Charlie Otlewski was enthusiastic about the project. Haslett High School was represented by members of the football program and student athletes from other sports. A few Haslett alumni also took time to come out and serve the community. The Haslett team prepped, planted, and mulched the police gardens and finished the task by cleaning up the site. In addition, they helped weed and mulch the farmhouse gardens, mulched the Okemos Post Office garden and helped finish the Fire Station work.
Okemos: ACTION, the Okemos football program and members from the hockey and tennis teams participated in this community project. Varsity football coach, Mike Krumm, gave his players the responsibility for signing up and communicating with Meridian Garden Club. Rovic Ines took the initiative to coordinate his team with MGC. Aparna Krishnamurthy was the coordinator on behalf of ACTION.
The athletic team volunteers took on the Fire Station, while the ACTION members planted and mulched the chapel garden and weeded the gazebo area. The student athletes completely weeded, pruned, planted and mulched the fire station gardens.
Fire and Police Department: The Fire and Police Chiefs, Mike Hamel and Ken Plaga, and their staffs collaborated with the student athletes at their respective buildings to encourage a positive interaction between the two parties. This project’s main mission was to show youth the importance of community pride and service, with the servicemen leading by example. The fire and police service unions and Meridian Garden Club provided refreshments for the volunteers.
Behind the Project: This project would have not been possible without the Capital Area Master Gardeners' and Meridian Garden Club's financial donations. The Design and Landscaping team (Tressa McAllister, Miriam Minshall and Dick Von Tersch) worked to design garden plans, mark the flower beds, research and obtain plants. Georgia Styka coordinated with Meridian Township for MISS DIG markings, extending irrigation, and adding mulch, soil and Dairy Doo. District II B youth group coordinator, Ronnie Dush, was available to guide the volunteers. Mr. Lee “Buzzy” McAllister worked long after the volunteers had left, cleaning up the site. Sue Wittick helped by taking pictures of the event.
Garden club volunteers included Carole Armstrong, Kris Belonge, Nita Campbell, Colleen Hyslop, Lee and Tressa McAllister, Miriam Minshall, Linda Mogyoros, Simar Pawar, Melody Potter, Georgia Styka and Dick VonTersch, who taught the proper techniques for planting. He explained fundamentals of preparing and planting, mulching and future care of gardens to student athletes. This project was possible because of the great turnout of volunteers. More than 60 students and 20 adults volunteered. Despite the volunteers’ busy weekend (prom and senior party), it was a true inspiration to witness the good humor, hard work and determination of all involved to see the project completed .