Published in the SUN SENTINEL – April, 26, 2019
Representatives from the Joseph P Cory Foundation helped students from Hammock Pointe Elementary School in Boca Raton plant a Garden of Hope. (Joseph P Cory Foundation/Courtesy)
Jennifer Shapiro-Sacks Special correspondent
About 30 students from Hammock Pointe Elementary School in Boca Raton, along with their parents, recently planted herbs in the school’s Garden of Hope with the help from the Joseph P Cory Foundation.
With the goal to educate children and families about beneficial, simple and effective ways to achieve and maintain wellness through gardening, the foundation donates Gardens of Hope within the community.
Its mission is empowering people and communities to achieve wellness and well-being through expertise, education and guidance.
“My philosophy aligns with the foundation’s — kids need to know where healthy food comes from. A lot of students live in apartments and now they know you can grow fresh fruits and vegetables in a small place and some have never pulled out a carrot from the ground before,” said Holly Nilsen, third-grade teacher who is also the faculty club advisor for the school’s garden club. “Anything to have kids outside using their hands and moving their bodies is all good.”
Although the foundation helped plant herbs such as dill, chives, mint and rosemary because of the time of the year, at different points, Hammock Pointe has also had vegetables such as carrots, radishes and cabbage in its garden, Nilsen said.
They are also growing pumpkins and sunflowers.
On May 3, the students will harvest the herbs and make hummus from a recipe from one of the foundation’s board members, Nilsen said.
“The Joseph P Cory Foundation is a great partner for us and I think we’ll continue to grow and do amazing things at Hammock Pointe,” she said.
Hammock Pointe Elementary School students, their parents and representatives from the Joseph P Cory Foundation planted herbs in the Garden of Hope on campus. (Joseph P Cory Foundation/Courtesy)
There are about 140 schools in the School District of Palm Beach County that have a garden, and “what’s special about having a garden is that it crosses over the three pillars of wellness — nutrition, fitness and mindfulness,” according to Jeannine Rizzo, the school district’s school based wellness coordinator and school garden liaison.
“There’s a lot of work involved with maintaining a garden which contributes to fitness and movement and mindfulness being with nature, and watching butterflies and birds lets them become grounded. Gardens give them an opportunity to just be,” she said.
The foundation also plans to help Hammock Pointe relocate its hydroponics system and expand the butterfly area.
Four years ago, Nada Cory started the foundation that is named in memory of her late husband. She wanted to create something that embodied her passion of “helping people to live healthier lives in every respect,” she said.
She thought of ways to make her passion tangible, and that’s how she came up with the idea for the gardens of hope, she said.
“You create a relationship with the plant and soil, an energetic exchange between plant and human. It creates what the body needs. We started creating these gardens in schools, work places and the community,” Cory said. “There’s no greater reward than seeing a smile on a child or person’s face when they plant a seed and learn what they’ve harvested. We’re creating that relationship and going back to basics, teaching them where the food comes from.”
On Saturday, April 27, the foundation is holding its largest fundraising gala, the fourth annual Homegrown Health Gala, at the Doubletree Hilton Boca Raton-Deerfield Beach.
“I’d love for the community to get involved and invest either their time, money or expertise in creating brighter futures for our children and teaching them the way for a healthier lifestyle now,” Cory said.
For information about the foundation or to purchase tickets to the gala, visit josephpcoryfoundation.org.
