The Chelsea Forest and Parks Commission received a grant from the Vermont
Community Foundation to create a Pollinator garden on one of the vacant FEMA
properties in downtown Chelsea for community use.
The $3,000 received from the Vermont Community Foundation’s Spark Connecting
Community grant program will help to create a flowering tree lot on the former
Babcock/Lyon property at 12 Maple Avenue.
The Spark Connecting Community Grant program puts building and nurturing
communities front and center. The Foundation aims to support the work happening
throughout Vermont’s 251 towns that build social capital. These grants – where a small
amount can make a big difference– are intended to light the spark that keeps
Vermonters healthy and happy.
The plan is to plant crabapple trees adding spring flowering bulbs at the base of each
tree, install bird and butterfly houses and have benches and other places for people to
sit. The transformation of an empty lot into a relaxing, beautiful garden for the
community and encouraging pollinators and birdlife is the goal. The Parks and Forest
Commission encourages everyone to be part of the planning, design, and implantation
of the project. The project will include a “kick-off” informational session for the
community and integrate the project into the local school curriculum on the importance
of pollinators. The project will also collaborate with the “Youth Wellbeing Project”
through SafeArt Summer camps. The theme for the summer camps this year is “Crafts
and Connection”. The Forest and Parks Commission can be contacted through their
email of chelsea-forest-parks@googlegroups.com and the group meets the first Monday
of every month at the Chelsea Library at 6:00. All are welcome to attend.
The Vermont Community Foundation inspires giving and brings people and resources
together to make a difference in Vermont. A family of hundreds of funds and
foundations, we provide the advice, investment vehicles, and back-office expertise that
make it easy for the people who care about Vermont to find and fund the causes they
love. The heart of the Community Foundation’s work is closing the opportunity gap –
the divide that leaves too many Vermonters struggling to get ahead, no matter how hard
they work. We are aligning our time, energy, and discretionary resources on efforts that
provide access to early care and learning, pathways to college and career training,
support for youth and families, and community and economic vitality. We envision
Vermont at its best – where everyone has the opportunity to build a bright, secure
future. Visit vermontcf.org or call 802-388-3355 for more information.
