KPR Community Garden Awarded Greater DC Cares Microgrant

The KPR Community Garden earned a microgrant from Greater DC Cares for the partnership between Thea Bowman Prepartory Academy and the Garden. The grant will go into effect in late winter/early spring.

KPR Community Garden & Thea Bowman Prep. Academy Gardening Partnership

 The partnership between Thea Bowman Preparatory Academy and the Kingman Park/Rosedale Community Garden will work to provide students with a community-based outdoor learning experience. For too many Thea Bowman students and Kingman Park residents, crime, poor health and financial hardship have been a part of everyday life. This partnership will provide a “hands on” learning experience that will encourage hard work, pride in accomplishment, and the development of self-confidence.

The partnership will be modeled on the successful Charleston Area Children’s Garden Project. Through their experience, children in Charleston found that the process of growing edible foods gave them ownership and protection over their community, an awareness of what maintains good health, and a lesson about how all life is inter-dependent.

Our goal is to create a safe and beautiful space and to educate students about issues relating to childhood hunger, obesity and preventable disease. Instructionally, students will observe, inquire, experiment and collect data. Through gardening, students will experience wonder and engage in exploration of the natural world.

Just as exciting as the partnership, Thea Bowman Preparatory Academy and the Kingman Park/Rosedale Community Garden, together, have been awarded applied for $2,500 grant from the Burpee Home Garden 2011 "I Can Grow" Youth Garden Award Program to help establish and foster the program.  You can read the grant application HERE.  And, HERE is a letter from the Thea Bowman Preparatory Academy Board of Trustees supporting the partnership and grant application.

RCA would like to thank everyone involved in making this important and wonderful partnership and program possible.  The 2011 gardening season is sure to be more exciting and "fruitful" then last year!