A place to grow
Unique program offers brain injury survivors a special kind of therapy
Gardening program offers brain injury survivors a special kind of therapy
KITCHENER — Gardening is more than a hobby at the Opportunity Centre.
Growing vegetables is a therapeutic activity for participants in the day program tailored to people with acquired brain injuries, and it gives a boost of freshness to the served lunch.
“Gardening is such a good therapy. For a moment, you can shut off all the questions in your head,” explained Donna Ferguson, a longtime client at the Kitchener centre run by Traverse Independence.
Now their garden is getting a big upgrade.
Prior to this season, big plastic containers salvaged from the garbage were used as the garden beds.
But this year, the plants will grow in raised wooden beds thanks to the generosity of Home Depot, which donated the materials and expertise to build them.
Ferguson was at a ladies’ night out at a local store when a light bulb came on, and she asked staff if they could help create new garden containers for the centre.
“We needed more bins. We have a lot of interest in our gardens,” she said.
On Wednesday, a crew from Home Depot arrived with all the wood, equipment and know-how. Program participants pitched in with the assembly and emptied the old plastic bins of soil and seedlings so they could be transplanted into the new beds behind the Westheights Drive centre.
Because the former containers were low to the ground and the new ones are raised, participants with mobility issues can now join in on the gardening.
“We have clients here with varying abilities,” said Karen Liphard, day program manager.
The non-profit organization has more than 100 clients in two programs: the Opportunity Centre, which is a drop-in program, and Beginnings, which offers extra support for those who need it.
“The two programs intermingle,” Liphard said.
Lunch is offered on-site to both groups, and in the growing season, it is made with vegetables and herbs from the garden.
Many clients are on a fixed income because their brain injury leaves them unable to work, and the hearty meal is always welcome.
People can take home the leftovers, and thanks to a partnership with the food bank, care packages are available.
“Fresh vegetables are not usually in that,” Liphard said.
Liphard said she’s seen big changes in people who joined the gardening program after starting out depressed, quiet and withdrawn as they struggled with their acquired injury.
“You see them blossoming, just like our gardens will,” Liphard said.
The garden is a client initiative, and that’s encouraged at the centre. Those pitching in on Wednesday gathered for a barbecue lunch, and Liphard applauded the team effort.
“It really is a testament to the community spirit that exists here.”
Rebekah Haynes is one of the main gardeners who makes sure the plants stay watered during the hot summer months.
“It’s really therapeutic,” Haynes said of gardening. “Also, just the taste is so much better.”
She has been coming to the centre regularly for about a decade after suffering a brain injury in a car crash. There she finds support and understanding.
“This place has changed a lot of things for me,” Haynes said. “It’s a safe place.”