In 2024, Jacklyn Cheely arrived at PARK365 with a group of work colleagues. They were planning to tackle a one-day beautification project – a great fit for Jacklyn’s green thumb. But what she didn’t know is that she would be returning again … and again … and again! Jacklyn fell in love with the park environment that day. She’s happily volunteered as a gardening assistant for SOAR365’s Adult Day Support program ever since.
“Learning is always more fun when you put it into practice,” she says. “Having the opportunity to teach participants about gardening through hands-on activities in such a beautiful space is quite a pleasure. It’s been so exciting to watch participants see the literal fruits of their labor and find joy in the garden that they helped grow and fill with life.”
Jacklyn’s gardening talents began at home, where she has welcomed a variety of plants and animals. “I’ve transformed my personal garden space from an empty yard with no life to a thriving and bustling habitat,” she explains. “This year, we have seen quite an increase in wildlife. Animals that I would have never seen in the empty yard are now all over – hummingbirds, friendly yellow garden spiders, ladybugs, dragonflies, fireflies, bumblebees, and, of course, butterflies!”
She is excited about the future of the PARK365 gardens: “It’s my goal to encourage a similar habitat here, and luckily, I’m not starting from scratch! The garden and the park already have some excellent plant life. I’m looking forward to adding to the existing habitat and fostering a space that is welcoming to all life.”
Her appreciation for gardening began in elementary school when teachers used creative lessons to illustrate the natural environment. “During science classes, we learned information about plant and animal life cycles,” she recalls. But what really stood out were hands-on experiences, like those Jacklyn offers our participants.
She remembers one teacher “brought in a container of caterpillars in a butterfly habitat so we could watch them transform.” Another time, “a teacher brought an incubator full of eggs so we could watch chicks hatch.” And still another lesson involved wrapping bean seeds in wet paper towels, putting them in plastic bags, and taping them to the windows. “We watched them sprout for weeks,” she says.
For Jacklyn, connecting with nature leads to community. “Gardening encourages us to connect with our neighbors – people who live with the same microclimate, the same soil, the same pests as us – to share knowledge, seeds, and words of encouragement,” she says. This “boosts the local ecosystem by creating habitats for local wildlife, increasing useful green space, and developing more sustainable food networks.” Better still, Jacklyn says it also “helps foster healthier social environments, where communities gather to share their abundance of knowledge of seeds, of tools, of harvest.” By doing so, she says we can all “create relationships with deep networks of support and care.”
Jacklyn sums up her outlook on gardening and volunteering at PARK365: “Gardening teaches us to be good stewards of the earth and good stewards of our community,” she said. “It is this spirit of gardening – that of resilience and community – that I hope to share with SOAR365 participants.”
Roll up your sleeves and join us! Visit our website to see where we need your help the most. We make it easy for volunteers to sign up and show up.
Looking for an internship or a skilled position that uses your talents? Have a group that’s interested in volunteering? Contact Liz Harris Baker, Volunteer Engagement Director, at (804) 665-1210 or liz.harris@soar365.org.
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Do you have a favorite PARK365 memory or a story you’d love to share? We’d love to hear it! Submit your story at bit.ly/StoriesFromPARK365 or email us at soarcomms@soar365.org. To learn more about PARK365 and how SOAR365 supports individuals with disabilities and their families, visit soar365.org.
