Please join the Memphis Rotary Club, the Uptown Community Garden Association and dozens of other would-be gardeners for the official Uptown Community Garden opening ceremony at 5:30 on Tuesday April 21, 2009.
The garden is located at the intersection of Fourth Street and Sycamore (between Auction and Mill) north of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. This event is the culmination of almost one year of planning and four months of construction. Come meet the gardeners as they plant their first seeds together in this vital and visible part of our community.
Uptown Community Garden
The Memphis Rotary Club, firmly committed to their motto of Service Above Self, has made the strategic decision to assist in the revitalization of Uptown through partnerships addressing after school programs, financial literacy, education, health, grounds maintenance and public safety.
According to Rotary President John Coats: “The community garden began as a way for our many new members to get to know one another while tackling a community project. However, it has truly taking on a life of its own as neighbors have become more and more involved. This garden now represents more than a partnership between Rotary and the neighborhood; it represents a meeting place for friends.”
The Uptown Partnership, working to revitalize the area through new home opportunities, helped Rotary make connections with St. Stevens Baptist Church, the Uptown Neighborhood Association and other institutions critical to the success of this project.
Tanja Mitchell, Community Development Coordinator for the Partnership sees excitement throughout the neighborhood: “We started with an idea and just jumped in. John Lawrence and the other new Rotarians pushed us off the cliff with resources and enthusiasm. Josephine Williams with Grow Memphis gave us some directions. But we couldn’t believe it when neighbors just started showing up. Retirees and small children, young families and people who have lived here for generations all started dropping by with supplies and a desire to pitch in. On the last work day, it was hard to get through the gate because so many people were buzzing around planting a tree here or building a tool box there. This really is what we have always hoped Uptown would be.”
Dear friends.
We spread your project to all users in our district 4060.
We have received through Rota Latino. Congratulations
This is a great project. Hopefully it will hep to regenerate the area. Well done