I have been offered the opportunity to stay in touch with my resident at St. Mary, Vicky, over the past few weeks.\u00a0 The Activities Coordinator at St. Mary, Sandy Geller, has graciously offered her phone as a means to conduct Facebook videocalls.\u00a0 Every week at our scheduled time to visit, Vicky and I have had either a video call or a phone call.\u00a0 It has been great to stay in touch, and I am thankful for Sandy in making this happen!<\/p>\n
One thing that I definitely am missing is the garden at St. Mary.\u00a0 Last spring, another Holy Cross student (Megan Treanor ’20) and I applied for a Marshall Grant to establish a garden at St. Mary.\u00a0 We were awarded nearly a thousand dollars to implement a wheelchair-accessible garden where all residents would be able to grow their own fruits and veggies as well as get their hands dirty if they wanted.\u00a0 Vicky was one of the residents who led the charge on this activity, offering her guidance from decades of managing her own garden at her home.<\/p>\n
Last year was our first year, so there definitely were some challenges to overcome.\u00a0 However, the garden was a huge success with many residents, Holy Cross students, and families of residents, participating in cultivating the garden.\u00a0 Several residents told Sandy that they now had a purpose in life.\u00a0 Megan and I were proud to have made such a big impact and are thankful for all that helped make the garden such a success.<\/p>\n
I was excited for this spring to really grow a fantastic garden.\u00a0 With the current situation, it doesn\u2019t look as if that is going to occur.\u00a0 But one thing is certain: I know for a fact though that once this time of social distancing comes to an end, Sandy, Vicky, and many of the other residents will be outside at the garden.\u00a0 In the meantime, I look forward to staying in touch with Vicky via phone.<\/p>\n
To the current CBL students reading this, I would recommend that you reach out to your community partner.\u00a0 Maybe a phone call is something that could be facilitated for your site.\u00a0 You never know until you ask!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I have been offered the opportunity to stay in touch with my resident at St. Mary, Vicky, over the past few weeks.\u00a0 The Activities Coordinator at St. Mary, Sandy Geller, has graciously offered her phone as a means to conduct Facebook videocalls.\u00a0 Every week at our scheduled time to visit, Vicky and I have had … <\/p>\n