Gardening Volunteers Tend Healing Gardens

News Release

Hundreds Volunteer to Tend Healing Gardens of
Friends Hospital

Every spring and fall, nearly 200 volunteers from the Philadelphia area get their hands dirty at Friends Hospital’s "Gardening with Friends" volunteer effort. Boy Scouts, church groups and members of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society are typically among the volunteers who contribute four hours of their time to spruce up the 100-acre campus of the nation’s oldest psychiatric hospital.

Volunteers rake, weed, mulch, plant flowers and trees, and pick up debris across the Hospital’s healing gardens which feature 20,000 azaleas, 245 kinds of trees and 275 species of shrubs.

The gardens have been a critical part of the Hospital’s treatment since it opened its doors in 1813. Many patients participate in horticultural therapy, a powerful form of therapy that involves working with plants to stimulate recovery.

"We are so grateful for the outpouring of support we receive from the community. The volunteers help ensure that the grounds of Friends Hospital continue to be a beautiful, healing environment for patients and visitors in the Philadelphia area," said Wayne Mugrauer, CEO of Friends Hospital.

Because the maintenance demands of the grounds are year-round, the Hospital is also looking for volunteers to help on a regular basis through a new "Adopt a Garden" program. Volunteers are asked to contribute several hours of their time once a month to help spruce up garden areas around the campus. Anyone interested in Adopt a Garden is asked to call 215-831-3000.

Mark your calendars for the next "Gardening with Friends" event, November 12, 2005 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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