(Charleston, W. Va.) – Avery is 2 ½ years old. Like most young children, he loves to play outdoors – climb on jungle gyms, play games, and have picnics with his family while they enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. Sadly, like many of the children currently residing at the YWCA Sojourner’s Shelter for Homeless Women and Families, Avery has never had a yard to call his own.
Today, thanks to the West Virginia Nursery & Landscape Association (WVNLA), children like Avery now have their very own backyard – a newly-created green space and recreation area at the YWCA Sojourner’s Shelter on Charleston’s East End.
In January, the 100-member statewide association voted to donate an “extreme makeover” landscaping project to a deserving group in lieu of its annual summer meeting.
“We wanted to give back to the communities in which we live to enhance and improve the lives of others,” stated Cary Levenson, President of WVNLA and owner of Valley Gardens in Charleston. “Simply put, we wanted to make their world a better place.”
And WVNLA has done just that.
In just 10 short weeks (ground was broken on June 2), WVNLA and its partners have transformed the YWCA Sojourner’s property from a barren lot with a portable basketball hoop, minimal playground equipment, a large unusable pile of dirt and concrete, and dumpsters that were quite the eyesore, to a landscaping and architectural masterpiece.
The shelter now boasts a welcoming entrance with seating areas; a center courtyard with a planting area; an outdoor dining plaza located off the cafeteria with access through new doors; a game court complete with a basketball hoop, hopscotch and foursquare; a playground for younger children; a gathering space for parents to socialize while watching their children play; and greenery to screen the walls and dumpster areas.
“This transformation goes beyond anything we could have hoped for,” stated YWCA Sojourner’s Program Director Margaret Taylor. “We are truly grateful for every penny, every minute, and every person WVNLA invested in this project to create a safe and inviting outdoor space for homeless children and adults to enjoy while we help them achieve self-sufficiency.”
WVNLA chose the YWCA Sojourner’s Shelter over several other charitable projects because of the significant impact a newly-renovated space would have on the children who reside in the shelter. YWCA Sojourner’s is home to an average of 65 individuals at any given time – approximately 25 of which are children.
All funding, design, materials, and labor for the project were donated by WVNLA – estimated at approximately $100,000. The project was headed by the WVNLA Board along with a local steering committee of the association’s members, which included Levenson, Becky Morris of Riverside Sod Farm (Charleston) and Bill Mills of TerraSalis (Malden).
The completed project includes every aspect of the original plan, as well as additional features such as two new awnings and security gates and fences to help ensure residents’ safety. Final touches to be added next week will include nine park benches and five outdoor tables to complete the outdoor dining plaza. WVNLA is still accepting donations ($500 for benches, $1,000 for tables) to offset the significant cost of these amenities.
“The final results have far exceeded our original expectations,” Levenson stated. “We are so pleased we could create a green space that is both aesthetically pleasing and functional for the residents at YWCA Sojourner’s.”
Levenson also expressed his gratitude to this project’s generous contributors, including Josh Raynes of Raynes & Sons Excavation; Bruce McClanahan and the employees of McClanahan Construction; Joe Young of Triad Engineering; David Gilmore of GAI Consultants; Dave Marshall, Architect; Marc Adams of Digital Vision Works, Inc.; Classic Garden Ornaments, Ltd.; Cole’s Nursery; CURA; G&G Nursery; Groundworks Nursery; Nitro Shade & Awning Company; Peerless Block & Brick Company; Riverside Sod Company; TerraSalis and Valley Gardens.
The public is invited to join WVNLA and YWCA Sojourner’s in celebrating the project’s completion with a dedication and ribbon-cutting (performed by the children who reside at YWCA Sojourner’s). This event will take place on Friday, August 8 at 3:30pm at the YWCA Sojourner’s Shelter at 1418 Washington Street East in Charleston.
The West Virginia Nursery & Landscape Association is a 100-member statewide organization that serves to protect and promote the nursery industry in West Virginia; to provide information to its membership; to cultivate friendships; and to promote exchange and sale of nursery stock.
The YWCA Sojourner’s Shelter for Homeless Women and Families provides emergency shelter and supportive services 24/7, 365 days a year for homeless single women, women with children, men with custody of their children and intact families. This 75-bed facility offers a secure, healthy environment with crisis intervention, case management, counseling, and education and job training to help individuals achieve long-term self-sufficiency.
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Additional contacts (all area code “304”):
Cary Levenson – President, WVNLA; Owner, Valley Gardens: 342-4636 or 539-6400
Margaret Taylor – Program Director, YWCA Sojourner’s Shelter: 340-3553
Debby Weinstein – Executive Director, YWCA of Charleston: 340-3555