Sorry, article not available right now.
July 2007
Up on the Roof
by John Cannizzo
Everything starts with a dream. C.G. Jung observes in “On the Nature of Dreams" that dreams serve a compensatory function. These compensations are momentary adjustments to one-sidedness or equalization of disturbed balance.
People with terminal disease live at Bailey Holt House (BHH) - many are battling HIV. Liza Watkins, an intern at their Residence on Christopher Street, contacted HSNY. New York Botanical Garden had recommended us. Lisa wanted to know if we could help BHH. Of course we said “Yes."
Though the river view from the House's roof is beautiful, the barren space was underutilized. BHH had very little money for improvements. Home Depot gave a grant for materials, and a private donor pledged money for workshops.
BHH's dream is to create a rooftop garden to engage residents in the healthy, life affirming activity of gardening. After discussing the project at residents' weekly meetings, Liza asked about placing a BHH resident in HSNY's internship program. BHH would subsidize the resident.
This spring was very demanding. We installed many gardens. Twenty-one interns enrolled - that's more than the total that worked with us all last year. At the end of the day, the gloves on our hands were sometimes tatters, literally shredded. Now there is light work watering, planting annuals and routine maintenance. The clinical staff of BHH approved T., a resident, to join GreenTeam.
Volunteers other than residents also worked on the garden. Liza's friend showed them how to construct containers. Although the watching residents seemed interested in the garden, I still wondered if they would use it.
Liza and I went to Home Depot to pick out plants. I brought them back to BHH to put up on the roof until planting day. When I got there a group of BHH residents met me outside. They wanted to plant. We filled the containers at the front entrance with arbor vitae and impatiens. It was very hot. Some of the residents started to act out in a very childish way squirting each other with hoses. The next day we went back and planted the roof with vegetables, small trees, and perennials.
Since then T. had surgery and is restricted to only looking after the rooftop garden. Now we are looking for money to do a series of weekly workshops.
*Photos: John Cannizzo
|
