July 2013 - Parks & Recreation - 31

SOCIAL EQUITY

From Gravel Lot to Garden of Possibilities
A Midwest agency transforms an abandoned property into a community garden for all
By Lauren Hoffmann

I

n the Village of Rosemont, Illinois, there was once a gravel lot - think tiny
stones worn down and ground up from car tires, dust and dirt when dry, mud
and puddles when wet, and not a single blade of green outside of maybe an
errant weed or two. On this side of the village, there is little to no green space.
But Omar Camarillo and Karen Stephens of the Rosemont Park District
knew this lot had potential for their low-income community of less than 10,000.
And one day their answer came - a community garden.
After Stephens spotted the announcement of a community garden grant opportunity through NRPA and the Darden
Foundation, she immediately picked up
the phone and called Camarillo to encourage him to apply for the grant. He
agreed, and they were soon selected to
receive a Grow Your Park Grant.
The two quickly got to work revamping and transforming the lot into a suitable gardening space, laying down seed,
growing lush green grass and obtaining
gardening supplies such as an outdoor
gardening box that they filled with
gloves, shovels and other tools. They
also informed the community of the opportunity to claim one of the 24 avail-

able garden boxes. Word spread quickly
around the village, and 24 families soon
signed up, claiming each plot.
The Village of Rosemont, a suburb of Chicago positioned between
O'Hare International Airport and the
Chicago Loop, is about 95 percent
Hispanic. Culture and heritage definitely factored into the acceptance of
a community garden.
" In the communities these families
come from in Mexico, gardening is a
significant part of the culture, " explains
Camarillo, a lifelong resident of Rosemont and the director of Rosemont
Recreation Center. " These community
gardening plots enable families to pass

on traditions to the younger generation while also giving them the fresh
produce they need. I see younger kids
out here tending to the plots with their
grandparents - it really is bringing the
community together. "
As part of the program, families will
donate a portion of their crops to a local charity to help other area families
in need. The gardeners all wholeheartedly agreed to the donation and were
more than happy to share their bounty.
While still early on in the process, the
garden is a classic example of how one
small park and recreation department
is making a huge impact in improving
quality of life - from health and wellness to conservation to social equity -
this garden has it all.
For more information on the Grow
Your Park grant program, visit www.
nrpa.org/garden.
Lauren Hoffmann is NRPA's Senior Public
Relations and Communications Manager
(lhoffmann@nrpa.org).

W W W. N R PA . O R G | J U LY 2 0 1 3 |

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July 2013 - Parks & Recreation

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July 2013 - Parks & Recreation - 1
July 2013 - Parks & Recreation - 2
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