August 20, 2016

Turning a generational belief on its head that the young don’t often work in unison with seasoned retirees that they have never met, new freshmen students from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville combined their Service Experience with the Granite City, Illinios SOAR Chapter in a laborious but fruitful community effort.

Getting students involved in a good service honors program is a nice fit for the SOAR Chapter’s Community Garden as two busloads of students shared shovels with retirees, cleaning up the vegetable garden that has been the source of fresh food for many outreach programs like The Good Samaritan House and Community Care Center in Granite City.

The Ozone Garden received attention from a portion of the freshmen who worked the soil and planted additional pollinator perennials plus they created a new paver patio area for the adjoining fire house.

SOAR Chapter 7-34-2 President Jeff Rains, through the help of United Congregations Metro, secured a grant from the EPA that began what is now one of only five ozone monitors in the St. Louis area. The Eagle Scouts built the fence and today’s volunteers, including Cris Carl, who brought his landscape design expertise into play, took advantage of today’s break in the weather to give back to the community.

Rains said there has been an abundance of community involvement in establishing and distributing vegetables from the garden but not so much enthusiasm for pulling weeds. He heaped praise on the SIUE group giving up a fine Saturday morning to volunteer and to active steelworker from Local 1899, Kenny Hahn for donating all the tomato plants.

Click link below for Flikr slideshow of the event.

www.flickr.com/photos/111374846@N05/albums/72157672722636585