Community Garden

My wife and I are known to do things in a big way. It is just our nature.

Today's feature is the Turning Point Adult Learning Center Community Garden on Hobart Drive, just north of Southern State Community College in Hillsboro.

While I await my first guest blog, I will give you a few details of the garden.

LuAnn is completing her fifth year as Executive Officer of Turning Point. Turning Point has actually become a turning point for many, many participants in five years. The program helps people work off their welfare payments and helps ex-offenders get back into the work stream.

Turning Point often serves as a last chance to help people where we as parents, neighbors, friends and teachers have failed to help people adequately "who fall through the cracks" of society.

The participants are always friendly and courteous when I visit. LuAnn expects no less from them. Most of them call her Miss LuAnn. She helps them in every way possible but they pretty much don't cross her path or they are out the door back to the misery they came from. That is my assessment.

It was good to see five participants who earned their way to work outdoors tilling, planting, fertilizing, caging tomatoes and everything that has to be done in a good garden.

The green beans that Bird Hybrids donated from Rupp Seed Company is the most impressive crop out there right now but everything is coming on nicely.

In these difficult times it feels so good as a farmer and contributing citizen to see these people buy into the concept and learn things they will carry the rest of their lives and teach to others.

This is what people helping is all about out here in the country. We have problems just like the towns and cities do.

I hope LuAnn takes the time from her very busy schedule to write her view of this amazing story. I invite all readers to send me topics or write a blog to be considered for HyMark High Spots. Guest bloggers are welcome as there are so many good stories out there.

This definitely is a High Spot for me.

What do you think?

Sincerely,

Ed Winkle