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THE HOME DEPOT – KaBOOM DIG IN
at
CONCORDIA LEARNING CENTER at
ST. JOSEPH’S SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND
Jersey City, NJ – The air just got a little sweeter at Concordia Learning Center at St. Joseph’s School for the Blind thanks to more than 25 volunteers from Jersey City’s newest The Home Depot, the Twelfth Street facility, aptly named the “Holland Tunnel” store. “Team Depot”, The Home Depot’s associate volunteers, together with members of Concordia Learning Center’s staff came together to construct a multi-level sensory garden and tall grass maze in the school’s new playground area.
The sensory garden provides a bounty of flowering plants and vegetables selected especially for Concordia Learning Center’s students who are blind, visually impaired and have additional disabilities. Built in altering levels to accommodate the full range of students from 3 to 21 years of age, the garden offers a sumptuous mix of plants to entice each of the senses.
The tall grass maze, constructed alongside the garden, also allows students the opportunity to embrace nature up close through a series of winding paths overflowing with varieties of ornamental grasses. More than 200 grass plants were used to construct the maze design. Assorted wind chimes, planters and an outdoor storage shed were also donated through the project funding.
Concordia Learning Center’s students also contributed to their special day. A group of students worked with Team Depot volunteers constructing birdhouses which will later adorn their new garden. Students also helped with the outdoor plantings which will provide a unique and exciting experience for them with each new season.
The Home Depot Store Manager, Tim Ansbach, Operations Manager, Brad Bates and Pro-Desk Manager, Kim DeJesso had a vision for the unused playground space and worked throughout the summer months planning and designing each element of the project. According to Mr. Bates, “Through Team Depot, our store associates are able to give back to the communities we work and live in by volunteering their time to various projects. This project today, at Concordia Learning Center, exemplifies the very thing that is at the heart of Home Depot’s core values that all of our associates live every day. Doing the right thing, respect for all people, and building strong relationships. On a personal note, I derive great satisfaction in being able to help out in the community anyway I can; and living in Manhattan I don’t often get the opportunity to get my hands in the ground, get dirty and build something as meaningful as this project.”
Concordia Learning Center’s Interim Executive Director Judy Ortman worked alongside the Team Depot volunteers constructing the grass maze. She said, “This garden will allow our students to interact with and experience nature in an entirely new and exciting way. It is a beautiful and enriching gift to our school that will grow with each new season. We are very grateful to Home Depot and the Team Depot volunteers for their generous and creative gift.”
Also working hand-in-hand with Team Depot was Concordia Learning Center’s Principal Joseph Gugliemella who praised the spirit of volunteerism and enthusiasm of the group. “I think it’s wonderful that Home Depot has donated not only funding, but their time and energy to benefit our students. They have worked hard to create a setting that allows our students to experience nature through stimulation of their senses; this is invaluable. In particular, the maze and sensory garden will allow them to learn about nature through a unique, fun activity. I truly cannot thank them enough.”
Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy, Councilman-at-Large Peter Brennan and Ward D Councilman William Gaughan were also on hand to tour the garden project and congratulate The Home Depot team for their dedication to community works.
The Concordia Learning Center project was provided by The Home Depot – KaBOOM Playground Renovation grant with additional funding provided through a grant from The Home Depot Foundation. The Garden State Growers, a large wholesale greenhouse in Pittstown, NJ, donated the full variety of more than 500 plants, shrubs and grasses, needed to complete the project.
For further information about Concordia Learning Center at St. Joseph's School for the Blind contact Ellen M. Felicetta, Director of Development (201) 876-5432 x 113, or via email efelicetta@sjsnj.org
For further information about The Home Depot Store #6845 contact Brad Bates, Operations Manager (201) 963-6513 x 340 or via email asm_6845@homedepot.com
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