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  • Future United Garden Location
  • garden location
  • garden plan
project leader
Asli E
location
344 Monroe Street
(Bed-Stuy)
latest update rss
Thank you for helping us to shoot for the moon!

the project

In 2020 two established public schools in Brooklyn - Arts & Letters and 305 Dr. Peter Ray - merged to form "A & L 305 United" located in Bed-Stuy. Of course, there were many plans to deliberately bring the two school communities serving almost 700 students from PK to 8th grade together.
Then Covid hit. Most of the funding secured for this evaporated or shifted towards more immediate issues that had to be handled and community building became virtually impossible. With some children attending blended instruction while others being fully remote, the distance and inequity between students grew.

The United Garden would be a unique opportunity to bridge this gap in a secure way while at the same time improving the school's science curriculum and beautifying the school space and neighborhood. The garden would be accessible to all students (remote and blended), teachers, and designated volunteers of our community (local as well as school-wide). We aim for the garden to become an integral part of the school's science curriculum (for all grades) as well as a recreational area/green space to be used by all. Besides that, a dedicated afterschool program would allow students to learn about native plants and how to grow them.

Further down the road, we would love to extend our efforts and involvement with the local community even more by using some of the enclosed and currently underutilized public park greenspace (Hattie Carthan Playground) as pollinating ground for local bees and butterflies.

the steps

  1. We will purchase and pick up/deliver materials on the budget list.
  2. We will set up garden building days within the first two weeks after April 5th and with community volunteers, including students, we will build the garden
  3. We will work with Brooklyn Seeds, a non-profit based in Brooklyn to set up an afterschool program
  4. We will establish open hours for our garden so that we can serve the larger Bed-Stuy community

why we're doing it

Our school is located in a notoriously underserved neighborhood. However, what we lack in financial resources we make up for with enthusiasm and the will to put in the work. What we hope to achieve with this project is manifold. 

  • First of all, we want to create a green space for our students, teachers, their families, and our local community. We believe that our children deserve to have a slice of nature they can enjoy together.
  • Secondly, we want to create a science program that is directly related to the garden and can eventually be integrated into the school curriculum and afterschool program for all grades, regardless if students are in-school or remote. We believe hands-on learning is invaluable for all students.
  • Lastly, we also hope that a garden would be a way to create and serve a community beyond the borders of our school. Some ideas are to have harvesting open houses, community sign-ups for garden upkeep during the summer months, etc. We believe in the power and importance of community.

budget

Disbursed Budget 4.19.2021

  1. Ten (10) stock tanks to be used as raised garden beds                 $2,000.00     
  2. Three (3) picnic tables                                                                  $540
  3. One (1) Storage shed for tools and supplies                                 $400.00
  4. Soil & gravel to fill beds                                                               $980.00 
  5. Misc gardening tools for students to use                                      $250.00
  6. Additional plants and educational materials                                 $1,500
  7. Compost Tumblers                                                                        $300
  8. Additional Planters                                                                        $200
  9. Watering System                                                                            $950
  10. Lumber and Tools                                                                          $372.63
  11. Gardening Tools for Adults                                                            $167.67               

 = TOTAL TO DISBURSE $7,660.30



TOTAL RAISED = $7,780.00
ioby Fiscal Sponsorship Fee (5%) N/A
ioby Donation Processing Fee (3%) $119.70
TOTAL TO DISBURSE= $7,660.30

 

Updated budget 4.7.2021:

 



TOTAL PROJECT FUNDING NEEDED $6,590
ioby Fiscal Sponsorship Fee (5%) N/A
ioby Donation Processing Fee (3%)
(Donation processing fee does not apply to match funding.)		 $204
TOTAL TO RAISE= $6,794

Donation processing fees apply to donations only. 100% of match funding goes to projects. Please note, fees are estimated here and final numbers may change based on the final amount raised and amount of match funding applied to this campaign.

  1. Ten (10) stock tanks to be used as raised garden beds               $2,000.00     
  2. Two (2) picnic tables                                                                     $360.00
  3. One (1) Storage shed for tools and supplies                                 $400.00
  4. Soil & gravel to fill beds                                                               $580.00
  5. Misc gardening tools for students to use                                      $250.00
  6. Additional plants and educational materials                                  $1,500



PROJECT FUNDING NEEDED = $3,590
ioby Platform Fee $35
ioby Donation Processing Fee (3%)
(Donation processing fee does not apply to match funding.)		 $73
TOTAL TO RAISE = $3,698

Donation processing fees apply to donations only. 100% of match funding goes to projects. Please note, fees are estimated here and final numbers may change based on the final amount raised and amount of match funding applied to this campaign.

updates

Thank you for helping us to shoot for the moon!

Posted 04/02/2021 - 5:32pm

A huge "Thank you" to everyone who already donated to our campaign! 

Your contributions and the fact that every $ was matched 1to1 made us almost reach our donation goal after only three days.

Your support made us reevaluate our goal and encouraged us to aim higher.

Now we shoot for the moon but if we fail, we know we will still be among the stars thanks to your support.

There is still a lot more we can do!

 

photos

This is where photos will go once we build flickr integration

donors

  • Vinocur-Thorsens
  • Anonymous
  • Hannah Rosenzweig
  • Catherine Burns
  • william g.
  • Hazuki Aikawa
  • Kay C.
  • Vinocur-Thorsen
  • Nardia B.
  • Michelle C.
  • 1st Grade Parent
  • Chi-Burns Family
  • Gareth Mahon | RKLA Studio
  • Ennis A.
  • Richard and Marjorie Siegel
  • Jessica and Nik
  • Jennie C.
  • Anonymous
  • Charles V.
  • Billy M.
  • Dara C.
  • Chloe A.
  • Jasmin A.
  • Cristina B.
  • Poulsen Family
  • Anonymous
  • Bliss B.
  • Irene C.
  • Jonathan B.
  • United Parent !
  • Anonymous
  • Rebecca L.
  • Anonymous
  • Julie Frick Wade
  • Christianna Nelson
  • Anonymous
  • Anonymous
  • Anonymous