Adult workshop members help Fellows garden to flourish

By JORDYN GRZELEWSKI

jgrzelewski@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

Amber Crago excitedly ran up to people Wednesday,

grabbing them by the hand and pulling them toward the glass-enclosed area where bees are kept at Fellows Riverside Gardens.

Crago, a member of the Mahoning County Board of Developmental Disabilities’ Bev Road Mahoning County Adult Services Co. day program, and other members come to Fellows every week in the summer to help tend an area called the Family Garden.

“They’ve done a lot here,” said Paul Iden, MCBDD planning and development coordinator. “It’s nice because it gets them out. ... It gets them involved in the community.”

The program, which began eight years ago, is led by Mill Creek MetroParks educator Lori Mowad, who works on different tasks with the group each week, such as planting bulbs, mulching, watering plants and taking care of weeds.

“They love to plant. And they love to taste. So once everything comes into bloom, they get to harvest and taste things,” Mowad said.

Recently the group got to sample some homemade orange juice, and then make treats for birds out of the leftover orange peels.

Another activity they enjoy is mulching.

“It’s is like their favorite thing,” Mowad said. “And they love when the beekeeper comes, because they get to taste honey.”

They got to do both of those things Wednesday.

One group member, Tony Dedrick, donned a protective suit to go into the beekeeping area, where he excitedly waved to people on the other side of the glass.

Robert Hewitt mulched one area of the garden Wednesday, a task he says he enjoys.

“You come and love to help out,” he said. He likes “getting work done that needs to get done.”

Everyone also got to sample some honey before sitting down for lunch at the gardens.

The program, Mowad and MCBDD employees say, is mutually beneficial. The group works hard and helps out garden staff, and it’s also a chance to get out of the workshop for a new experience.

“They look forward to coming out here. And it’s work, but they really do get excited,” said workshop specialist Barb Melchionne. “They talk about it days ahead of time.”

“They have a special heart,” Mowad said. “Most people don’t like to work. They’ll stay out here for hours.”

It’s also educational.

“We talk about the roots, the leaves, the stem. So they know all the parts of the plants,” Mowad said.

Workshop specialists try to spend as much time doing activities with their clients as possible, they said.

“Barb and I try to do at least two community outings a week,” said Pamela Palermo. “We like to do a lot in the park because it’s beautiful, it’s free and we enjoy it. And it’s handicap-accessible, which is important.

“We do a lot of work. It’s fun.”