Horticulture Therapy Program

Work began in the fall of 1999 to build a 28-foot by 48-foot green house on the Main Campus, and the facility officially opened on September 30, 2000, with a ribbon cutting and a fall plant sale. The green house is the primary space for the Holy Angels Horticulture Therapy Program. A pond with a fountain gives residents an opportunity to engage their senses using water therapy. Residents use adapted hand shovels and other instruments to work in the soil. The green house serves a purpose similar to the Snoezelen Room, except it gives residents the opportunity to engage their senses in an outside setting. Also, for some of the higher functioning residents, the green house will help develop vocational skills.

Angel Garden (shown at left)

The idea of establishing an organic garden at Holy Angels began early in 2008. When Gaye Dimmick, Director of Creative Arts, met Dan Rosenberg at the Charlotte Tailgate Market, she heard about his instant organic garden concept. By the summer of 2008, the garden was providing cucumbers, tomatoes, radishes and other produce that could be used in the ICF/MR Homes or for use on the menus at Cherubs Café. The idea is based on the use of raised beds inside a 2' x 8' bottomless frame filled with organic soil. Raised beds produce a higher yield of fruits and vegetables using far less soil, water and maintenance. The beds also hold water better, which during a draught is always a good thing. In addition, the garden can be planted for all four seasons yielding year-round produce. Residents were able to take part in the project by planting, picking, weeding or at whatever level they were able. In addition, this innovate concept produced a unique learning experience for residents.