A partnership between St. Matthew Lutheran Church, the Rotary Clubs of Lee’s Summit and Pro Deo Youth Center has transformed unused green space into a vibrant raised bed learning garden to serve northeast Lee’s Summit. Our vision is to use the community garden as a laboratory for learning, production, and recreation accessible by Pro Deo Youth Center and St. Matthews pre-school and others in the church. The garden will produce a year-round schedule of harvesting dependent upon the season. Community volunteers with expertise in urban gardens will assist to ensure oversight fo the care, maintenance and beautification of the garden.
Pro Deo Youth Center teens will seed, tend, and harvest produce in an organic garden as part of a program emphasizing leadership and job skills. The program will teach youth the importance of caring for the earth while learning to grow their own food, work in a professional environment, operate a small business and create positive change for the community, the environment and themselves. Curriculum highlights include: Body and Health Nutrition - social/emotional learning around positive mental health strategies, exercise, and the study of food groups, vitamins, etc.; Personal Awareness - personal diet assessment and small steps to positive change; Science and Agriculture - plant biology, life cycles, agriculture; Interpersonal Skills - teamwork, problem solving and critical thinking. A special thank you to Lee’s Summit Rotary Clubs for securing the District 6040 Kimbrough Grant and for all the construction expertise and love shared during this development.