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 Photo of Jen Santry (HC3 Executive Director) and Joanna Rybak (Summit Prevention Alliance) deconstructing the old shed at the HC3 office to make room for the new greenhouse. Photo by Britt Basel.
September 22, 2010 – The High Country Conservation Center received a $10,000 grant from Colorado Garden Show, Inc. (CGS). This grant money will support The Living Classroom project, a permanent greenhouse on Main Street in Frisco.
CGS, along with its board of directors, awarded more than $600,000 in horticulture-related grant projects and scholarships throughout Colorado in May at the 2010 Grant and Scholarship Award Ceremony hosted at Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colo. High Country Conservation Center was one of 44 organizations awarded grant money by CGS in 2010.
CGS has awarded more than $3.5 million for horticultural projects and scholarships throughout Colorado. All of these awards are made possible with proceeds generated by the annual Colorado Garden & Home Show and Colorado Fall Home Show. “Colorado Garden Show provides funds for horticultural-related grants, scholarships and events for the benefit of the state of Colorado and when we learned about High Country Conservation Center’s The Living Classroom project-we knew this was a project to get behind and help financially,” said Jim Fricke, Colorado Garden Show executive director. “We hope this grant helps to provide High Country Conservation Center with encouragement, greater community involvement and the ability to reach its gardening goals.”
The $10,000 in funding from Colorado Garden Show is a matching grant for $6,000 donated by LiveWell Colorado and The Summit Prevention Alliance for The Living Classroom. High Country Conservation Center received the $16,000 in total funding in May and June of this year. Matthew Stais Architects has also donated over $10,000 in in-kind services to the architectural design of the greenhouse and community garden. In partnership with the Colorado Garden Show, LiveWell Colorado, the Summit Prevention Alliance, the Town of Frisco, and Matthew Stais Architects, High Country Conservation Center plans to construct the greenhouse by December 31, 2010.
The Living Classroom (TLC) is a program of the High Country Conservation Center (HC3) and supports the organization’s mission to promote sustainable food education in the community. “The Living Classroom - off Main Street in Frisco is an excellent opportunity for a community garden. Not only will TLC provide our residents with more green spaces to grow their own food, it will establish a permanent educational classroom and demonstration site for gardening and sustainable living workshops. Beyond food, TLC has potential to enlighten the community in the areas of composting, self-sufficiency, and renewable energy,” said High Country Conservation Center’s Executive Director, Jennifer Santry.
“We were hoping to launch the TLC project in spring of this year but we ran into some small hiccups along the way with orientation of the greenhouse and existing sewer lines on the Town of Frisco property. The greenhouse designs were formally accepted by Frisco Town Planning department last week and we are now excited about building the greenhouse this fall,” Santry said.
The future plans for TLC include additional outdoor beds to increase food yield. In support of Town of Frisco’s zero waste initiatives, food produced in abundance at the greenhouse and community garden will be given to local food banks to feed low income families in the community. “TLC will also be a beneficial place for schools to visit so our children can get their hands dirty, learn about healthy eating, and discover where food comes from,” Santry said.
“Although High Country Conservation Center has received $16,000 in funding for the project, we are still looking to partner with local businesses and individuals for in-kind donations for various materials like wood, cement, and rock to help with the construction of the greenhouse. If you would like to partner with HC3 in building the first permanent, community greenhouse and gardens in Frisco, please contact us,” Santry said. For more information or to support The Living Classroom project, please contact Jennifer Santry at 970-668-5703.
Click here to visit Summit Daily News story about The Living Classroom. |
