2017 Application for Grant Endowment from the Florida Permaculture Convergence

PEACE GARDEN AT SOLARIS HEALTH CARE

This is a proposal for the beautification of a garden at the Solaris Healthcare Nursing Home in Stuart, FL.

The garden is a favorite spot for residents, families and staff. It could benefit from some attention and improvement as there is limited staff to maintain the area.

GOAL – To establish a collaboration between Kashi Ashram and Solaris Healthcare to enhance the beauty of the garden, maintain it and to make it more sustainable, and ‘user friendly’.

Objectives:

  • Design flowerbeds offering more shade and color, installing flowers and shrubs
  • Improve safety, amending an uneven pathway troubled by underground tree roots. One option is to install a boardwalk that is wheelchair friendly and accessible.
  • Install a ‘sensory garden’ that residents can benefit from, or something similar.
  • Install an elevated container garden for herbs the residents can maintain.
  • Install an outdoor musical instrument.
  • Create a ‘memory wall’ or path where family members can donate plaques to remember their loved ones. This could also help offset the cost of improvements.
  • Consult with a professional permaculture designer for more ideas creating a design that is beautiful, healing and easily utilized by residents.

This project will be directed by Elaine Heroux, LCSW, member of the Love Our Earth team. She has worked on a collaboration between Good Karma Sangha and Love Our Earth, an active team functioning as part of the American Haidakhan Samaj. In the past year they raised money to purchase two teepees for the youth project Buffalo Nation Coming of Age. Love Our Earth has also planted numerous trees in collaboration with the Temple of Peace in Denver, and adopted animals at the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Denver. You can read more information about this work at American Haidakhan Samaj.

 

The residents of the nursing home are very close to Elaine’s heart and she feels that a beautiful new outdoor sanctuary would be healing and energizing.

Thank you for consideration of the proposal and the funding this grant will provide for any of the items on the list.

TO VOTE FOR THIS PROJECT

Send an email with your name and “Voting PEACE GARDEN” to VOTE@FLPERMACULTURECONVERGENCE.ORG

2017 Application for Grant Endowment from the Florida Permaculture Convergence