Mayor Winterer Joined Dozens of Local Youth for Ishihara Park Learning Garden Dedication as Part of GRO1000 Program
April 25, 2017 3:54 PM
SANTA MONICA, Calif. – Today, a dedication event was held at the Ishihara Park learning garden as part of the GRO1000 gardens and greenspace program led by The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation and the U.S. Conference of Mayors. A $40,000 multi-year GRO1000 grant partially funded the City of Santa Monica’s first learning garden at Ishihara Park, which opened in February.
The GRO1000 Santa Monica event was held at 11 a.m. where children from McKinley Elementary and Joslyn and Douglas Parks Community Classes Programs joined Mayor Ted Winterer and volunteers, including Scotts Miracle-Gro associates and GRO1000 national and local partners, in garden-related educational activities.
“Santa Monicans love our community gardens and programs that provide urban gardening exposure and education,” said Mayor Ted Winterer. “We appreciate the recognition as a GRO1000 garden and look forward to watching how the Ishihara Park learning garden quickly becomes a treasured community gathering space in our Pico neighborhood.”
GRO1000 is The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation’s commitment to support the creation of more than 1,000 community gardens and greenspaces throughout the U.S. by 2018, in conjunction with The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company’s 150th anniversary. To date, more than 900 community-based projects have received GRO1000 funding.
“We’re honored to work with the City of Santa Monica on this transformational project,” said Su Lok, Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation Vice President. “Our hope is that the lives of Santa Monica residents would be greatly improved through the creation of this community greenspace and all of the benefits that it provides.”
GRO1000 Santa Monica was made possible through the combined efforts of local partners, including the City of Santa Monica, and national partners including The U.S. Conference of Mayors, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation, Plant A Row for the Hungry, KidsGardening.org, the Garden Writers Association Foundation, and Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. The Santa Monica GRO1000 event is one of several public installation events being held in the U.S. in 2017.
Ishihara Park is a community greenspace designed to connect area residents to nature in an urban setting. The former parking lot is now a welcoming public greenscape with native plantings, an urban orchard, a learning garden, and passive green areas for residents to gather, exercise and experience nature.
Don’t miss these great photos. There’s also video on Facebook.
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