Dunbar Memorial Garden

The last couple of weeks I've had the great pleasure of meeting with several Dunbar clubs as we continue to rally support for our efforts at the Dunbar Memorial Garden. A new club at Dunbar this year the "Sisterhood" is a collective of young women with the ominous goal of not only improving the quality of life for women, but also the community as a whole.

When I contacted Jackie, the groups' president, I was certainly not aware of all the connections we shared. Jackie not only knew Jesse from middle school but just so happens to be dating the young man who received the first Spencerian College "Jesse Higginbotham" scholarship in 2007. About a dozen members met me at the garden and we talked about how they might help. They've taken on the task of refurbishing one of the picnic tables at the garden and have also volunteered to help create ceramic tiles to be used as art in the straw bale benches.

On Thursday I met with the Beta Club and was ill-prepared for Ellidia handing me a microphone to talk to a group of about 80 plus students about the garden and the Mindtriggerz Project. Thankfully, Mr. Richardson was on hand to share information about the computers. James has been about the most steadfast young man I think I've ever met, and while he may claim he had an aftershock of nerves, he did a beautiful job of detailing what we are trying to accomplish in Jesse's honor and name.

James spent the early morning today helping Jesse's dad set up the Mindtriggerz teaching lab at Cardinal Valley Park. I picked him up to go to the garden at about 9:30am. It is an unwritten rule that we never know what to expect as far as volunteers are concerned but we had packed all our tools and sanding equipment knowing at least a few of the Sisterhood members would be there to start on the picnic table. When we arrived at the garden near 10am, there were only a couple of us unloading the truck. By 10am close to 30 people had arrived including a large number of Beta's as well as one of our favorite new groups, the "No day but today" club, founded in honor of Hannah Landers.

While James demonstrated use of the sanders, scrapers and other tools for the table, I asked the others to help edge the pathways. Luckily, Tyler showed up on a weekend pass from EKU and was able to take over as lead instructor on how to clear a paver. Several other Dunbar graduates arrived including Austin (who is often stalked by monster sized bees) and Beth - a young woman attending UK whose dad has been a great contributor to Mindtriggerz and that I ever so luckily have begun to know via correspondance on Facebook. While Sarah's sister slept, her mom came too - always at the ready with her own weed digger!

Of course, we were thrilled with the turnout - 98.75% of the garden is now edged, in an environmentally friendly fashion (aka "hands") and the picnic table should be ready to prime after just a bit more sanding. Several ceramic tiles were created and me, well, I got absolutely nothing done for greeting, talking, directing and hugging. Special thanks to Dunbar teachers Ms. Davis (Beta club sponsor and all-around incredible person) and Ms. Anderson who came by to bring us about a dozen sunflower stakes. Oh and Louanne's mom who donated a big mass of Autumn Glory Sedum that we immediately placed in the rain barrel planter and of which there is no doubt it will be happy.

The plants at the garden are spreading beautifully - and prolifically - and while I am still amazed by the young people who come to work there who have never walked through it, in a school as large as Dunbar, I should not be surprised but still am. Among the many stories and comments shared today, learning that teachers vie for the chance to hold class out there, well, that was about the coolest. It continues to be our labor of love - and it was so good to be there today in the sun (even with the 80 degree heat), among old friends and new ones.

"Thank you" seems the most futile of phrases - it can't begin to express our <3.