Volunteer Opportunity Details:

Casabe Houses For The Elderly is seeking volunteers to assist in its Gardening Education Program. The project will serve it 136 senior residents as well as East Harlem residents interested in participating.

Casabe believes that our seniors will benefit from intergenerational activities and enrichment and has opened its programs to family members of our participants and local community residents of all ages.

In 2009, Casabe Houses completed its Gardens Beautification and Landscaping Project that was planned and implemented in through the participation of our senior tenants and local community residents. The landscaping project included the beautification of the sitting area (park) at 120th Street and Lexington Avenue, the sitting area adjacent to the front of the building, a memorial planting bed commemorating Rachel Villegas, a triangle planting bed, a side planting bed and an installation of plastic window boxes. The project inspired interest in developing and gardening program. To this end, we are seeking volunteers to assist in our Gardening Education Program, a training program for our seniors, their families and local residents on planting, gardening and maintenance of the gardens.

The project will include the development of a planning committee to determine what will be grown, training, preparation of the site, designing of the site, gathering of materials, followed by ongoing management and maintenance.

The goal of the project is to spur an interest in our seniors and community residents in the greening of the East Harlem community, to engage our seniors in healthy outdoor activities that are educational and then to connect these activities to the importance of following a healthy lifestyles. Active garden sites create a stable force in the community and serve as anchors for other re-development initiatives. It is also way to encourage everyone to eat better by giving them access to fresh fruits and vegetables, and to support the spirit of community that comes from nurturing a shared plot of land.

Participants will gain skills in Botany, Horticulture Basics, Flower Gardening, Urban Tree and Shrub Care, Soil Management, Landscape Pests and Diseases, Herbs, Health and Cooking, Weed Identification and Control, as well as selecting the Right Plant for the Right Place. Participants will be encouraged to participate in ancillary activities such as trips, tours, lectures and botanical crafts. In the following year, the project will lead to a culinary and nutrition project that will culminate in a healthy cookbook of healthy ethnic recipes.

The volunteers should have some basic knowledge of gardening and be proficient in Spanish and English.

This opportunity is sponsored by: Casabe Houses For The Elderly

This volunteer opportunity is available to the following types of volunteers Group/Corporate Groups Welcome Teens Welcome Senior Citizens Welcome We need volunteers who are free at these times Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Morning X X X X X Afternoon X X X X X Evening X X X X X

Contact Person: Lillian Lebron, Project Leader, (212) 410-5467, (email) View all organization contacts

Address:

150 East 121 Street New York, NY 10035 (See a map)

Directions:

We are located at the south east corner of 121 Street between Lexington and Third Avenues.   Nearest Metro/Subway Stop: # 4, 5 & 6 to 125th Street ,   Walk distance (in minutes): 2   Nearest Bus Stop: M101 to 123rd St. , 2 minute walk

Miscellaneous Information

Borough
	Manhattan
Volunteer Shifts
	Hours of operation are under construction.