Thanks to support from the Middletown Community Foundation, impactful changes are taking root and flourishing at the Summit Academy Community School – Middletown school garden.
The foundation presented Summit Academy Principal Kristen McClanahan-Parkes a check for $8,098 to support her school’s therapeutic gardening program. Led by Jordan Payne, BA, TRCC, the gardening program, Sprouting Minds, provides therapeutic horticulture programs that promote mental health and resilience.
“We are so excited to utilize this grant money for continuing our gardening program. Jordan’s teachings have become a pillar of our therapeutic approach to serving and educating the whole child, so we hope to keep this program – and expand it – for years to come,” says McClanahan-Parkes. “We are grateful that the Middletown Community Foundation chose to support us and our community. We are better together!”
Named Sunshine’s Garden, the therapeutic garden is a tribute to the school’s beloved late custodian, Quinton Jackson, aka “Mr. Sunshine.” Summit Academy Community School – Middletown, located at 4700 Central Ave., Middletown, is a nonprofit, special needs community school serving students in grades K-6.