PHILADELPHIA–The ribbon was cut here yesterday on a credit union-funded Health and Wellness Garden at the Nicholas and Athena Karabots Pediatric Care Center.
The so-called “leave-behind” project was assembled and sponsored by CUNA, the Pennsylvania CU Association, credit unions themselves and RealClearPolitics in conjunction with the Democratic National Convention here.
The Health and Wellness Garden, created in partnership Credit Unions for Kids, will serve as a resource for vitally important patient and community engagement programs that aim to support education and hands-on activities around gardening and healthy nutrition. A construction kick-off and multiple volunteer days took place earlier this year to help transform an open space into a garden. With the help of hundreds of volunteers, the Health and Wellness Garden has about 1,200 feet of raised beds with plants, including squash, kale, cucumbers, sweet peppers, herbs including rosemary, oregano, lavender and basil, eggplant, sweet potatoes, purple sweet potatoes, multiple varieties of lettuces and tomatoes.
Volunteers also planted a fruit tree orchid in the garden, which will produce apples and other fruits. Much of the produce from the garden will be donated to Early Heard Start, a program that serves families with children three years of age and under, in two specific zip codes of Philadelphia, that are at or below the federal poverty line.
A similar project was built for the children’s hospital in Cleveland, host of the Republican National Convention.
Edward G. Rendell, former governor of Pennsylvania and chair of the Philadelphia 2016 Host Committee for the Democratic National Convention, cut the ribbon with the help of Karabots patient Amari Pinckney and her mother, Nahree Anderson.
“I am thrilled to cut the ribbon on the Health and Wellness Garden at our Nicholas and Athena Karabots Pediatric Care Center,” said Madeline Bell, president and CEO of The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “Today’s event celebrates the generosity of the Pennsylvania Credit Union Association and our local credit unions – and countless hours of work by their volunteers who helped build the garden. We are so fortunate to be able to share it with our community and promote good nutrition for years to come.”
“Credit unions have been proudly conducting leave-behind projects in honor of the National Party Conventions since 2000 to leave a lasting impression on the communities like Philadelphia that have opened their doors to national nominating conventions,” said Rich Meade, chief of staff and COO of CUNA, in a statement. “This meaningful work, bringing a health and wellness garden to a community in need, will continue to serve its purpose and impact the lives of children and their families for years to come.”
The Pennsylvania Credit Union Association spearheaded fundraising by credit unions and raised more than its target goal of $300,000, the amount needed to cover the costs of the project.
“This project embodies the credit union philosophy of people-helping-people,” said Patrick Conway, president and CEO of PCUA. “Rather than holding a big party or event, credit unions have chosen to fund this Health and Wellness Garden that will have a positive impact in this community for many years to come.”
Below, from left: Carl Cannon, RealClearPolitics Washington bureau chief; Athena Karabots; Rich Meade, CUNA chief of staff/chief operating officer; Madeline Bell, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia president/CEO; Amari Pinckney, Karabots patient, and her mother, Nahree Anderson; Patrick Conway, Pennsylvania Credit Union Association president/CEO; and Edward G. Rendell, former Governor of Pennsylvania and Chair of the Philadelphia 2016 Host Committee for the Democratic National Convention.