Spring has officially sprung at Project RISE, and our garden is bursting back to life — thanks to the heart and hands of our kids, teens, adults, staff, and community volunteers.

We kicked off the season by planting the garden together. From the littlest hands to our seasoned teens and adults, everyone pitched in. A special shoutout goes to Gayle, who generously started our tomato plants — both the "Big Boys" and the cherry tomatoes — giving us a delicious head start.

Carri gave us a head start by planting onions earlier this spring, and we’re already seeing signs of last year’s volunteer sunflowers making a comeback.

Kelby is now passing on his knowledge, training Rich to become our resident "Garden Master."

We're also incredibly grateful to our dedicated child care workers, whose support makes days like this possible. 

Some of us even had some fun digging around for lizards.

A big thank you to SisAnn and the team of youth and adults who worked hard to fold up the garden tarps that helped keep the weeds down, making a big difference this year starting off.

For dinner we had a lovely home-cooked meal, tater tot casserole and corn.

We plan to harvest and gift the flowers to those who have supported us over the past year — a small gesture of gratitude rooted in love and community.

Some very great news from this is that Katie is back with us!

Here’s to growth, gratitude, and giving — from the ground up. 🪴