NewBridge Enrich Hosts Garden Party
Clients offer tours, share their pride and knowledge of horticultural therapy garden
Pompton Plains, NJ - Sept 15, 2006 - Men and women working through the challenges of mental illness got a chance to show the fruits of their labor at a Garden Party yesterday, hosted by NewBridge, a nonprofit provider of behavioral health and education programs and services.
This event, sponsored by JP Morgan Chase, included client-conducted tours of the NewBridge Enrich one-of-a-kind horticultural therapy garden, which is home to hundreds of rare and exotic tropical flowers, shrubs and trees from around the world.
Many of the clients had never worked in a garden before, and some initially resisted the offer to join. But the Enrich program, which had only served a handful of clients in previous years, grew to more than 50 clients this year. They dug every hole, they planted and learned the names of every shrub, and they worked as a team to nurture it through the summer.
"There are many aspects of mental illness that draw people inward; isolate them," said John Beirne, mental health counselor and creator of the Enrich garden. "Working in the Enrich garden has the exact opposite effect. It draws people together for a common goal, and teaches them to work cooperatively, in addition to building self esteem, follow-through and responsibility-crucial skills for life and the workplace."
In addition to gardening, clients of the Enrich program also channeled their energy in other creative pursuits. Several clients kept journals and wrote articles about the garden. Others photographed the garden and created scrapbooks of photos chronicling the garden's growth. Many clients also made their own paving stones, which they placed end to end through the garden as a path for visitors.
"No matter what responsibility they took on, every participating client contributed something to this project, and they are all proud because they are a part of something extraordinary," said Beirne, who said that every day, passersby stopped their cars to ask about the garden, an additional source of pride for its creators.
However, the most rewarding result of the garden is perhaps not the growth of its plants, some of which now stand 25 feet high; but rather the growth of clients who learned to care for something and even become leaders, often for the first time.
"More experienced clients have showed newer clients the ropes, taking them under their wings, without being asked to," said Beirne. "This is quite remarkable considering these are people with their own mental health concerns, taking on new responsibility because they now feel confident and comfortable enough with themselves to do so."
Visitors are welcome to stop by the garden, which is located at 640 Newark Pompton Turnpike, Pompton Plains, NJ. For more information on NewBridge Enrich, call Viki Ferlauto, Director of Partial Care, at (973) 839-2521, ext. 591.
About NewBridge Services
NewBridge Services, Inc., a non-profit community organization founded in 1963, provides innovative mental health, substance abuse, housing, children’s and senior services and education programs. Whether dealing with stress, grief, or substance abuse or in need of parenting, relationship or caregiving advice, NewBridge offers counseling programs, educational forums and life-enriching services to help people bring balance to their lives. For more information call 973-839-2520 or click here.
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