This year, we transitioned from having students helping in the gardens to working with only staff and a few volunteers, and found we needed extra help. In June, we hired our first youth employee, Arthur Gardine.
Arthur first learned of H.O.P.E. Gardens when he was a 6th grade student at South Elementary. He helped install that school garden 5 years ago, and worked with his friends to make it what it is today.
Arthur has been a tremendous asset to H.O.P.E. Gardens. Since he joined our team, Arthur has helped to expand and tend 10 existing school gardens and install 3 new school gardens. He has also helped build fences, plant deck boxes, harvest food for food banks, and save seeds. His newest contribution is creating a variety of gardening videos that we are using for student education. (Find Arthur’s videos on our Youtube channel.)
“I like the manual part of gardening,” Arthur says, “You have time to think and at the same time you are creating something amazing.” A sophomore at Grandville High, Arthur says his favorite vegetable is spinach and he hopes to pursue a career in the medical field.
We are grateful for Arthur’s hard work, dedication, and talent for organizing and problem-solving, and we are thrilled to have him on the H.O.P.E. Gardens team!