Columbus Dispatch, Columbus, Ohio, USA Sunday, January 29, 2006 (forwarded by Bill Dawson)
CULTIVATING A COMMUNITY 3 by Robin Chenoweth CAPA-CITY A rubbish-strewn lot gives way to an urban sanctuary Some say he has magic fingers because everything he touches blossoms and bears fruit. Dominic Carlisle was 18 when he became the custodian of CAPAcity garden, an enclave of color, life and art set within the drab urban maze that borders 1002 E. Livingston Ave. In October 2001, the lot next to the youth arts complex was little more than a thruway for drug dealers and vagrants. We found a lot of bottles, nails, syringes, things like that," said Carlisle, now 22 and a youth leader at Central Community House. But when he and other neighborhood volunteers began picking up trash, the effect was almost immediate. As we were digging up dirt and moving soil, kids would hang around watching," said Jackie Calderone, director of education for CAPAcity, the youth arm of the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts. Then some kids would help shovel the dirt. In that tragic fall (after the Sept. 11 attack), we created a sense of community." Carlisle had always loved gardening, but, even within him, something came to life as he coaxed the flowers and bushes. The hulking 6-foot-3-inch former high-school defensive end used a boombox to broadcast Chopin and Bach across the garden. He watered plants for almost three hours each day, lugging 5-gallon pails from the centers kitchen. This was a labor of love," he said. I had a lot of time to reflect." As he weeded and pruned, Carlisle drew parallels to his life. Insects plaguing the Boston ivy, for example, represented the troubles eating at him. Being able to nurture that plant and bring it back to health showed that my life will be better." Before long, the garden burgeoned. Sunflowers towered over the roof. Ornamental grasses shot up 15 feet. Asiatic lilies, butterfly bush, gladiolas, herbs and hollyhocks thrived. As plants grew, the space became a canvas for creative expression. Artists painted murals on the walls facing the garden. Young poets penned verse next to the paintings on cinder-block walls: Now appreciate the trees, the grass, feel the wind, embrace life." People receiving counseling at the Just for Today drug recovery center next door can take contemplative strolls through the garden. Everything has a meaning there," said Gail Burnett, manager of the recovery center. When we were (addicted), we never saw anything, never felt anything. Its so good to walk past something and have a feeling about it. Thats what happens in that garden. Its like a spiritual awakening." ______________________________________________________ The American Community Gardening Association listserve is only one of ACGA's services to community gardeners. To learn more about the ACGA and to find out how to join, please go to http://www.communitygarden.org To post an e-mail to the list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your subscription: https://secure.mallorn.com/mailman/listinfo/community_garden
