Doing Gardens Differently

!mpact Church & Brown Middle School (BMS) Garden

Prepared by Julie Borders For Rudy Fears

21 January 2010

Agenda

• BMS Garden Background• “Ripe” Environment• “Bearing Fruit”• Re-trenching• Meeting the Challenges• Next Steps

Brown Middle School Garden Background

• Collaboratively created by various West End Stakeholders in 2008– 501(c)(3)Created Vibrant Communities (CVC)– Community Association West End Historic District (WEND)– City-sponsored Neighborhood Planning Unit – T (NPU-T)– District 2 Atlanta Public School Board Representative

Khaatim El– Brown Middle School Staff

• Envisioned as a Multi-user Site– Edible School Yard– Community Garden– Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Business

• Governed by Multi-year APS Facility-CVC Lease– CVC Dissolution in process– New Project Sponsorship Search

“Ripe” EnvironmentMacro Trends

• Back to Basics : Green (Eco) / Food Literacy Movement

• 1st Lady’s White House Garden

• President Clinton’s Childhood Obesity Prevention Initiatives / School Lunch Report Cards

• Abundance of Unused + Misdirected Land & Physical/Mental Energy

Micro Trends• Neighborhood &

Spelman College Food Literacy Efforts

• Established Community & Church Gardens in West End

• APS-mandated Wellness Programs

• Abundance of Unused Land + Misdirected Physical/Mental Energy

“Bearing Fruit”Brown’s 1st Growing Season

• Eight Raised Beds / 10+Prepped Rows / Compost & Mulch Piles

• Participation from Multiple Volunteer Groups & Individuals

• Vegetable & Herb Crops included– Tomatoes, Okra, Corn, Beans,

Peppers, Squash, Collards, Kale– Basil

• Sold & Donated Produce– Atwood CSA & SWOOM

Community Markets– Hosea Feed the Hungry

“Bearing Fruit”Other Local Youth & Multi-Gen Garden

Examples:School-based• KIPP WAYS Academy

www.kippways.org– Washington Park Community

Charter Elementary School – Saturday Program

• Pearl Academy Agricultural & Environmental Center www.pearlacademy.org– SWAT Elementary & Middle

Specialized School– Summer Camp + Circle of Life

Gardening Center – Youth Entrepreneurs

“Bearing Fruit” Other Local Youth & Multi-Gen Garden

Examples:Community Center - based• Operation PEACE

www.operationpeace.org– Villages of Bedford Pines

Community (Old 4th Ward) Neighborhood Development Organization

– Summer Program for Elementary & Middle School Children

“Bearing Fruit” Other Local Youth & Multi-Gen Garden

Examples:Church – based/located

• Good Shepherd Community Church

– West End Religious Organization– Agricultural/Gardening Ministry

• Healthly Belvedere www.healthybelvedere.org

– Partnership among Kaiser Fiundation Health Plan of GA, The community Foundation of Greater Atlanta + the Belvedere Community in

– Peace Lutheran Church Site

Re-trenching• The Need

– CVC Board Volunteer Fatigue / Circumstantial Changes– Multi-year Lease Remaining Time– Continued Stakeholder Interest

• The !mpact-Brown Opportunity– Closer/Deeper Bond between/among Key Community

Organizations– Community Development: Economic/People

• The Challenges– Organizational Fit– Capacity/Skills– Funding– West End Resident Engagement

Meeting the Challenges• Organizational Fit

– Impact Give Back + Youth Development Programs– Future of Impact co-location with Brown– Future Turnover Potential

• Capacity/Skills– !mpacter Rudy Fears– Community Gardening Activists

• Julie Borders• Eugene Cooke• Yasmin Mouzon

– Organizational Resources• GA Organics• Atlanta Urban Gardening Program• Fulton County Extension Program, UGA• American Community Gardeners Association• The Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta• The Foundation Center

• Funding– Initial !mpact Infusion– Self-sustaining Goal (Earned Income)

• CSA component• After School Programs/Summer Camps• Childrens Parties

• West End Resident Engagement– Robert Thompson, CVC Executive Director– Reconnection with WEND & other community organizations

Next Steps• Determine Key Decision Criteria• Size Initial Investment• Communicate Plan of Action to Concerned

Parties• •