The Children's Coalition for Northeast Louisiana opened the Children's Coalition Family Garden Saturday, June 16 for "Super Saturdays," an event happening every third Saturday of the month.
"This is our soft opening of the garden," says Dr. Lynn Clark, Director of the Children's Coalition. "As you know, we opened our downtown facility about five months ago, and as part of that we were able to really develop the land around it." The Children's Coalition has nearly two full lots of space surrounding it. "As part of that development, we created a 30 raised-bed garden, an outdoor learning center for early childhood, and a fruit tree-lined path."
The garden was created for families within the programs that the Children's Coalition offers, but the organization is opening it up to the community once a month this summer. Through partnerships with LSU AgCenter, Master Gardeners, 4-H leaders, and the Food Bank of Northeast Louisiana, the Children's Coalition is offering garden-based education as well.
"We believe that we can improve everyone's lives that we touch," says Linda Hunt of Aetna. "We encourage healthy living and eating at Aetna, so this garden was something that fit right in with what we're trying to do. It goes a long way, especially for our future generations."
More information about the Family Garden is available here.