Environmental Grant Press Release

Environmental Grant Press Release

Connecticut Society for Women

Environmental Professionals

News Release

CONTACT: Christie Bradway

(860) 665-5296

A Garden as a Place of Healing and Recovery

Environmental grant funds garden for mental health clients; Applicants sought for new round of funding

February 15, 2005 - It took imagination and quite a bit of faith to look beyond the tiny, weed-choked lot in Milford and see what it could be. But a season of hard work and patient nurturing resulted in an explosion of peonies, zucchini and summer squash in what today is The Recovery Garden, a place of growth and recovery growth for the staff and clients of the mental health outpatient center that tend to it.

The plot at the Benson-Crump Memorial Community Garden is an exercise in “horticulture therapy” from Bridges, a mental health facility in Milford. It was also the first project funded by the Connecticut Society for Women Environmental Professionals (SWEP-CT) in their inaugural year of offering grants of up to $1,000 for environmentally beneficial projects.

SWEP-CT is the Connecticut chapter of a national organization of professional women committed to sharing their knowledge and experience to support environmental initiatives and enhance opportunities for women in the environmental field.

Now in its second year, the grant program operated by SWEP-CT provides funding to community-based non-profit and grassroots organizations for initiatives within Connecticut that benefit the environment, such as property cleanups, habitat protection of habitats or environmental education. The chapter's Executive Committee will review each application and judging its environmental benefits with those of other applicants.

Grant applications are due March 31, with awards being made in April. Applications can be mailed, faxed or e-mailed.

Any applying group meeting the grant guidelines may also reapply during a subsequent application period, regardless of whether a previous grant was received.

Applications may be requested by calling Christie Bradway at 860-665-5296, or by e-mailing a request to bradwcl@nu.com. Applications may also be downloaded from the SWEP-CT website at http://www.swep-ct.org/.

Applicants are encouraged to include information about their organization, and any additional information they feel is relevant to their project.

The Bridges project is an example of a grant application that was funded because of the widespread benefit it provided. Horticulture therapy, as conducted by the Bridges staff, is a discipline that uses plants and gardening activities to enhance the communications and social skills for their clients. At the same time, through this initiative a parcel was improved, environmental awareness was promoted, and a new community resource was created. The SWEP-CT grant paid for materials including seeds, gardening tools and the nominal plot fee paid to the Benson-Crump Memorial Community Garden.

The Connecticut Society for Women Environmental Professionals is an organization for women involved or interested in environmental law, science, business and policy. SWEP-CT was founded in 1999 as a forum for networking, mentoring, community service, and professional growth, and currently has 120 members and several corporate members. SWEP-CT is part of a national network of other SWEP organizations with chapters in Chicago, Philadelphia, New Jersey and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

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Environmental Grant Program Description	Connecticut Society for Women Environmental Professionals \| H ome Environmental Grant Application \| Environmental Grant Press Release \| 2004 Award \| 2005 Award \| 2006 Grant Award \| 2007 Award
	Environmental Grant Press Release Connecticut Society for Women Environmental Professionals News Release CONTACT: Christie Bradway (860) 665-5296 A Garden as a Place of Healing and Recovery Environmental grant funds garden for mental health clients; Applicants sought for new round of funding February 15, 2005 - It took imagination and quite a bit of faith to look beyond the tiny, weed-choked lot in Milford and see what it could be. But a season of hard work and patient nurturing resulted in an explosion of peonies, zucchini and summer squash in what today is The Recovery Garden, a place of growth and recovery growth for the staff and clients of the mental health outpatient center that tend to it. The plot at the Benson-Crump Memorial Community Garden is an exercise in “horticulture therapy” from Bridges, a mental health facility in Milford. It was also the first project funded by the Connecticut Society for Women Environmental Professionals (SWEP-CT) in their inaugural year of offering grants of up to $1,000 for environmentally beneficial projects. SWEP-CT is the Connecticut chapter of a national organization of professional women committed to sharing their knowledge and experience to support environmental initiatives and enhance opportunities for women in the environmental field. Now in its second year, the grant program operated by SWEP-CT provides funding to community-based non-profit and grassroots organizations for initiatives within Connecticut that benefit the environment, such as property cleanups, habitat protection of habitats or environmental education. The chapter's Executive Committee will review each application and judging its environmental benefits with those of other applicants. Grant applications are due March 31, with awards being made in April. Applications can be mailed, faxed or e-mailed. Any applying group meeting the grant guidelines may also reapply during a subsequent application period, regardless of whether a previous grant was received. Applications may be requested by calling Christie Bradway at 860-665-5296, or by e-mailing a request to bradwcl@nu.com. Applications may also be downloaded from the SWEP-CT website at http://www.swep-ct.org/. Applicants are encouraged to include information about their organization, and any additional information they feel is relevant to their project. The Bridges project is an example of a grant application that was funded because of the widespread benefit it provided. Horticulture therapy, as conducted by the Bridges staff, is a discipline that uses plants and gardening activities to enhance the communications and social skills for their clients. At the same time, through this initiative a parcel was improved, environmental awareness was promoted, and a new community resource was created. The SWEP-CT grant paid for materials including seeds, gardening tools and the nominal plot fee paid to the Benson-Crump Memorial Community Garden. The Connecticut Society for Women Environmental Professionals is an organization for women involved or interested in environmental law, science, business and policy. SWEP-CT was founded in 1999 as a forum for networking, mentoring, community service, and professional growth, and currently has 120 members and several corporate members. SWEP-CT is part of a national network of other SWEP organizations with chapters in Chicago, Philadelphia, New Jersey and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. ###