- project leader
- Timothy S
- location
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6527 Superior Avenue(St, Clair-Superior)
- latest update rss
- No updates yet.
the project
Our proposal is to align forces with local veterans and educational organizations to provide job training, therapy and housing for homeless veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Research shows that agriculture can work wonders for helping veterans combat PTSD, and while many programs are being started in other states, no such programs exist in the Cleveland area, despite Cleveland's position as a world-leader in both urban farming and in medicine and therapeutic care.
We want to begin such a program at Community Greenhouse Partners, working with the Veterans Administration, Disabled American Veterans, the Veterans Sustainable Agriculture Training Program, Neighborhood Leadership for Environmental Health, Inc., and other related groups to start serving the needs of veterans in Northeast Ohio.
To do this, CGP would provide housing for homeless veterans. During a year-long residency, we would train our residents in urban farming, with an emphasis on Permaculture and Organic Food Production. The VA and DAV would work with our clients guiding their therapy and psychiatric and physical care. NLEH would help each client produce a business plan to start their own urban farming venture. We would work with area government officials to identify available vacant land, particularly in areas where foreclosed homes are also available for renovation. The veterans would then move into these homes with neighboring vacant lots after completion of the program, and turn their vacant lots into urban farms, where they could work and earn an income while continuing the therapy they began at CGP.
the steps
We will start with a 12-week permaculture design certification course.
We will work with the clients to help them find houses with adjacent vacant land available through the land bank. These lands will be used to build sustainable, off-grid, year-round growing operations.
We will help them write individualized sustainable business plans to help them fund their startup entrepreneurial farms, and create a cooperative alliance to help drive economic independence for its members.
We will work with the VA and DAV to help create personalized PTSD therapy programs for participants.
why we're doing it
Community Greenhouse Partners is a sustainable urban farm that applies ecological design principles and engages community participation to grow wholesome food year-round that is provided at low-cost to the neighborhood, improving personal health while generating training, mentoring and employment opportunities. Our mission is to improve the quality of life of those around us by growing vegetables year-round and selling them at low cost to urban families, employing local residents and teaching sustainability and earth science to students of all ages.
According to the Center for Disease Control, “Gardens may offer physical and mental health benefits by providing opportunities to eat healthy fresh fruits and vegetables; engage in physical activity, skill building, and creating green space; beautify vacant lots; and decrease violence in some neighborhoods while improving social well-being through strengthening social connections.”
Further research shows that agriculture can work wonders for helping veterans combat PTSD. In an article entitled “After War, Veterans Find Peace, Fulfillment in Agriculture”, Worldwatch Research Fellow Molly Theobald wrote about military veterans who turned to farming to help them transition to civilian life. “Adam Burke returned home from Iraq after nine years of military service with a Purple Heart award for bravery. But, suffering from both physical and emotional injuries, he did not feel prepared to enter the traditional workforce. During the third annual, four-day long Coalition for Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans (CIAV) conference in Washington DC on May 11, Burke described the one activity that finally helped him: farming. “Agriculture is more than just a way of producing food. As Burke demonstrates, it can also be a way to heal the physical and emotional wounds of war, as well as a source of meaningful employment for returning soldiers. Burke described "the peace and fulfillment" he gains from working outdoors-a peace and fulfillment he was not able to find in the therapy offered by traditional doctors.”
And while many programs have been started in other states, no such programs exist in the Cleveland area, despite Cleveland's position as a world-leader in both urban farming and in medicine and therapeutic care. That's where this program comes in.
budget
DISBURSEMENT BUDGET (as of 12/7/16):
| RAISED = | $950.00 |
| ioby Platform Fee | waived |
| Payment Processing Fee (3%) | $27.67 |
| TOTAL TO DISBURSE = | $922.33 |
These funds will be allocated towards the educational materials such as books and other classroom materials
ORIGINAL BUDGET:
$5,000. Instructor fees and certification costs
$1,000 Books and other classroom materials
$4,000 Soil, seeds, and tools for use by veteran farm trainees.
| SUBTOTAL = | $10,000 |
| ioby Platform Fee | $35 |
| Donation Processing Fee of 3% | $300 |
| TOTAL TO RAISE = | $10,335 |
updates
Sorry, but this project doesn't have any updates yet.
photos
This is where photos will go once we build flickr integrationdonors
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Anonymous
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Carolyn Smith
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Christopher M Neill
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Paul D Ross
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Anonymous
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C J Smith
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Christopher DePenti
