William A. Kresse, Ph.D.
Thanks to Joy Kuebler we were able to take four abandoned and garbage covered lots that were a blight on our neighborhood and turn them in to an attractive lush garden where residents converge and children learn to joy of gardening and caring for our environment. Pelion Community Garden at City Honors School began with the primitive concept from our school community and neighbors that the unused lots across from our school could be transformed from a neighborhood negative to an asset. Joy carefully listened and gathered the needs and interests of all parties to produce cohesive planning documents to help us move forward. The plans Joy developed provided a tangible vision that excited our stakeholders and funding sources. The end result is a hands-on learning opportunity for our students to learn about plants, food, healthy diet, science, and sustainable agriculture. The garden also engages our neighbors and children of the neighborhood in gardening as a part of our shared beds program and multiple community events during year such as the strawberry moon festival, movie nights and classes. We could not have arrived at this point without Joy’s work to create both consensus and design.