This Spring, we took another step on the path of serving our children and families in innovative and uniquely effective ways.  We maintain our primary commitment to ensuring safety and long-term family connections for the children we care for. The dedication of the Orchards Children’s Services Community Garden on July 27 served as a reminder that to truly be effective, we must also offer opportunities that support health, education and a connection to Orchards that transcends the ideas of placements and cases.

The garden is a welcoming environment where tiny miracles happen each day – a new flower, a ripening tomato, a cucumber hiding under a prickly vine.  When a child sprinkles the neatly lined rows with one of the brightly colored watering cans, onlookers see the smiles sprouting long before the seedling breaks through to feel the sun.  These simple accomplishments, these tender moments, build confidence, connectedness and joy in the lives of children who often struggle themselves to feel the warmth of family.

With the support of Café Cortina, Beaumont Hospital, Earthworks Urban Farming and the Cracker Barrel, we’ve created a space where we’re growing the rarest of bounties – a sense of belonging.  We invite you to join us – whether tending to our garden or helping to sow the seeds of hope- and together, we’ll bring a little sunshine into some special kids lives.