Pam Schulz lives a peaceful country life in Richwood, Ohio. she enjoys gardening, watching wildlife, and
co-existing with nature. When she told her granddaughter’s teacher that she had taught her how to plant fruits and vegetables, preserve foods, the difference between male and female plants and their blossoms, how to execute the math behind gardening, and where things grow best, the teacher insisted that it become a community effort.
Now her 7-acre farm has a community garden named Hearts of Hope, to which children from the city – and other areas where space is limited visit – to learn how to be green, about good nutrition, about wildlife and preservation, and how to respect nature. There’s even more “hope” than expected, as more and more children who are physically challenged are coming to the garden; so much so that Pam has created paths for them to easier access the area. Pam is tickled over the success, saying “[The project] gives mea greater feeling of knowing that more can be done with children when you can point them in the right direction and just let them turn loose.”
Pam definitely wants to grow the project and plans to obtain more knowledge so that she can grow more and larger gardens. Reflecting on the future of the garden, she says, “I would love to have the kind of garden that was totally designed and ran by children, for children.” she laughs, “[I would love to hear] a child say to an adult, ‘sorry no adults, but hey, your kids can come in.’”