Spurwink was recently awarded a grant from the Western Mountains Fund at the Maine Community Foundation to build a therapeutic community garden at Spurwink’s Cornville campus. The garden will help students develop social, practical, and vocational skills, reconnect with school, and build community. Funds are also available to launch a farm stand and for a recipe book to further engage with the community!
Students with developmental disabilities and behavioral health challenges benefit from hands-on learning opportunities, particularly empowering activities with practical applications. This therapeutic garden will give students a hands-on and emotionally regulating experience of working in a garden. They’ll develop social, life, and job skills through the farm stand and the cookbook.
Additionally, our local community has not always been connected to the campus and there can be misunderstandings about who our students are and what we do. The garden will provide an opportunity to better serve our students, and also to improve communication, dispel stigma, eliminate barriers, and grow trust, respect, and support.
For more information, or if you’re interested in helping support the gardens at Spurwink schools, please contact Gabrielle Gallucci, Director of Mission Impact at ggallucci[at]spurwink.org.