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OtterCares Foundation Grant Award

The Gardens on Spring Creek is honored to be a recipient of a recent OtterCares Foundation grant award totaling $19,523 in support of our established Project Hort and new Junior Hort Programs! These two teen educational initiatives are an essential part of growing the future of horticulture and environmentalism in our community, and we thank OtterCares for providing foundational support to help this program expand!  

Started in 2022, Project Hort is a program for teens who are passionate about gardening, plants, animals, and the environment. This summer-long volunteer and stewardship program combines service learning, community building, and horticulture education. 

 In the first two years of Project Hort, 35 dedicated students volunteered over 5,000 hours, completing projects focused on building new gardens, facilitating education around plants and mental health, assembling garden exploration backpacks, and organizing our Garden Animal Fest. 

For 2024, we're planning another full summer dedicated to horticulture, community building, and volunteerism, as well as expanding opportunities for students to practice and develop their leadership, customer service, and public speaking skills. 


 
Proven Impact 
From a Project Hort participant:

"When I first learned about Project Hort, I was super excited to become one of the members. I was told that [we] ... would volunteer at the Gardens on Spring Creek in shifts and would be given the opportunity and resources to create a project that would help the community in some way. This was one of the driving forces to join Project Hort for me.  

This experience truly changed me and the people around me. I would recommend this to anyone and everyone. Being a philanthropist has allowed me to help change the world around me and I would never give up that experience."

What is Junior Hort? 
After two years of facilitating Project Hort we knew we could better serve our youngest budding horticulturists in the cohort with a stand-alone program, and the idea of Junior Hort was born!

Launching in 2024, this transitional program will be for rising sixth graders and will focus on both volunteerism and the development of the skills required to be successful in the full Project Hort program should they choose to apply in future years.  


An Eye to the Future 
Over the next few years (and beyond!), we aim to see the impact of Junior Hort and Project Hort reflected in the number of students entering the horticulture field. As these careers steward the food we eat, the air we breathe, and plants that hold our earth in place, we know it is critically important for us to help inspire the next generation of farmers, botanists, entomologists, horticulturists, and gardeners.  

Thank you to the OtterCares Foundation for supporting our education programming!
Applications for both Project Hort (rising 7–12 graders) and Junior Hort (rising 6 graders) open Feb. 1, 2024.

Make sure to subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on social to stay apprised of Project Hort and Junior Hort happenings this summer. 

This article was written by Ashley Krueger and Mackenzie Merrill-Wick

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