SCRANTON — The Leadership Lackawanna Core Program Class of 2016 announced it will install a healing and transformation garden in spring of 2016 for the Children’s Advocacy Center of Northeastern Pennsylvania (CAC/NEPA) at the Teen Advocacy Center, 316 Wheeler Ave.
The project, titled “Planting a Promise,” will benefit children and teens who have endured abuse and neglect. The garden will provide a safe haven for children and a way for them to experience nature, helping to mitigate stress and promote healing.
The space will combine earth’s elements of water, air and fire to provide a complete sensory experience. It will incorporate a variety of different zones, including a butterfly garden, which will represent spiritual rebirth and transformation. Children will have the opportunity to paint a rock and leave it in the rock garden. This will serve as a creative and safe means for them to share their feelings and will also comfort other children by showing them they are not alone. The garden will also feature a reflection area, a fire pit, hammocks, swings, a sandbox and a picnic area.
The overarching goal of the project is to transform a vacant plot of land into a healing and transformation garden that will provide a sense of renewal to children and teens as they work through the healing process and rebuild their lives with the help of the staff at CAC/NEPA.
There are numerous opportunities for community involvement, including sponsorships, in-kind donations and volunteer work. For more information, log onto www.leadershiplackawanna.com/projects.
