Seeds have been planted at the new Gahanna Employability and Adult Readiness (known as GEAR) Gardens in Jefferson Township, with the hope to harvest independence and employability skills for students with disabilities who are ages 18-21.
“We’ve planted pumpkins, sunflowers, and are starting a pollinator garden,” said Corinne Fields, coordinator of Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools’ special education. “We’re anticipating having the gardens be a worksite for our students this coming school year and will be holding a pumpkin and sunflower sale in September.”
She said the primary goals of GEAR Gardens are to improve student independence and employability skills while also helping students effectively communicate and feel confident in a variety of social settings.
A project manager is being sought to guide the project, preferably someone in the construction industry, possibly someone retired, said Tricia Twigg, GJ’s community-relations and outreach coordinator.
Anyone who is interested in the position should email Twigg at twiggt@gjps.org or call 614-416-0298.
Ruthie Yoder, GEAR instructor, said 22 rows of pumpkins were initially planted in late June, with more to follow at the garden on property off Morse Road.
“We are very excited about the progress that has been made,” she said. “We’re still planning on starting a Christmas tree farm. That’s definitely been an important piece of the farm for our students.”
She said 11 volunteers from Gahanna-Jefferson schools and two volunteers from the Teen Eco Summit with the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium helped plant the garden.
The hope is that the land and outdoor spaces are used for educational programming for students in prekindergarten to 12th grade, according to Fields.
She said the program also has a strong desire to give back to the school district and Jefferson Township by being a resource to families and neighborhoods.
Twigg said the special-education department has been wanting to develop the GEAR program off-site from the high school so that the students could have an opportunity to progress to more of a work environment, focusing on transition skills, independence and employability.
She said Tiffany Hanna, a Lincoln High School special-education teacher, is a member of the Gahanna-Jefferson Education Foundation board of directors.
Hanna, Yoder and Fields worked on a proposal for the agricultural program and presented it to the board, according to Twigg.
“The education foundation loved the concept, as it is an innovative learning opportunity, which fits perfectly with GJEF’s mission,” she said.
Although GEAR Gardens has a separate steering committee, Twigg said, the education foundation is supporting the project with fundraising in number of ways.
During the Feb. 26 Gahanna Gala, Mike and Ann Flaherty offered a matching donation of $20,000 to challenge guests to donate toward GEAR Gardens, she said.
The total Fund-a-Need donations totaled $41,256, according to Twigg.
“We were also approached by several individuals that evening interested in sponsoring certain portions of the project,” she said. “At its December 2021 meeting, the GJEF board committed $100,000 during the next two years toward GEAR Gardens. In addition, we have a private donor that has allocated over $40,000 toward the project. We have also received donations toward the project in the form of memorial funds.”
Twigg said she’s grateful to Jefferson Township for the lease of the property, as well as all the donors.
“We have a very generous community, and there has been quite a bit of interest in supporting this very cool project,” she said.
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