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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday April 23, 2008 - 21 Green thumbs and all welcome Raising resilient kids St. Ignatius of Loyola Catholic Secondary School Council presents Dick O'Brien on Raising Resilient Children tonight. O'Brien will speak at the 1550 Nottinghill Gate high school at 7 p.m. O'Brien is a professional speaker and has been a therapist and a trainer for 32 years. He has assisted corporations, school boards, hospitals and police departments with issues of stress, wellness, counselling and leadership. For information contact Laurie Mitchell at 905-8470595, ext. 610 or m i t c h e l ll@hcdsb.org. Continued from page 15 den is not in the league of competing with local farmers, who enjoyed a huge success at the market, which closed in October -- also with plans to re-open this season. The founding group of volunteers of the OCGP first met in March of last year and more than two dozen people got involved with a core of approximately 15 volunteers later maintaining the daily upkeep of the garden. With last year its inaugural year, Curran anticipates the group will meet this month and next to begin planting from seedlings that needs to be done. "The community garden will be starting up again. We likely won't be planting until the end of May, but would like to solicit more members before then, as they can get involved in some planning and starting of seeds indoors," said Curran. While community gardens are nothing new to Oakville, the OCGP took a different approach to the concept: instead of multiple plots rented and cultivated individually, the OCGP is collectively run; all the members decide together what direction the entire garden takes. The group even decided its meetings would take place on gardening day at the garden -- Sunday afternoons last year -- but Curran said that will be open to negotiation this year depending on this year's members. The inclusive governance model provided the opportunity for novice gardeners to learn from experienced ones and for the group as a whole to have a greater presence in the community. Curran's daughter, Liz, was instrumental in determining what items to plant. With an extensive organic gardening and farming knowledge, she advised the group on selecting a diverse range of vegetables (eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, peas, etc.), flowers (snapdragons, cosmos, morning glory), and herbs (basil, cilantro, oregano, rosemary), that would be able to flourish in the previously uncultivated ground. "The soil in this location is pretty sandy and dry, so we had to keep that in mind when we were deciding what to plant," said Liz. "But a lot of the plants have nonetheless done really well, and I expect the garden will be even better because of all of our work fertilizing and enriching the soil this past season." Sure enough, Curran said even passersby expressed delight at seeing something growing rather than a brown patch of grass. Passersby are welcome to stop by, see the garden, even taste a tomato, when the garden is in bloom. Though that type of sampling is still some months away, Curran said interest in the garden is more than welcome now. Last season, the garden's modest harvest was shared among the active volunteers, but the group hopes the garden will eventually be large enough that it can even further supply fresh vegetables to, for example, local organizations helping persons in need. That way the OCGP would be emphasizing the importance and benefits of establishing local organic food sources while creating a place of beauty in the neighbourhood. Curran also said that the garden "The community garden will be starting up again. We likely won't be planting until the end of May, but would like to solicit more members before then, as they can get involved in some planning and starting of seeds." Susan Curran, Oakville Community Garden founder would provide a source of veggies for any nearby apartment dwellers who may be interested in taking up gardening this summer. Curran noted that rising oil prices could affect the import of fruits and veggies, yet also noted that two generations ago, 70 per cent of people knew how to grow their own food, while today that percentage has dropped to three. The OCGP was made possible not only with the help of the Town of Oakville, but also from the donations of materials from Rona Lansing and Home Depot last season. Curran said a $2,000 grant was also obtained from the Oakville Community Foundation (OCF) and will be used for expanding and maintaining the garden this season. The OCGP welcomes new volunteers -- and particularly those from its immediate neighbourhood. To find out more about getting involved with the OCGP contact oakvillegreen.community.garden@gmail.com. Crime Prevention Starts in the Neighbourhood www.oakvilleneighbourhoodwatch.ca ANGELO ESPOSITO TAX SERVICES · Basic returns from $25 · E-file - no extra charge · Small Businesses, Rentals Call (905) 847-4626 for a free estimate OLDFIELD & PACHECO ACCOUNTING Serving Oakville & Burlington for 18 years SENIORS FREE! "For Initial return" Tax,Investment, Estate, Retirement, Education and Insurance Planning Kirk Oldfield, CMA 905-334-8238 FOCUS FINANCIAL PLANNING TAX FILING Pick-up and drop-off service Servicing Oakville Tax and Income Planning for Seniors Call for estimate EDWARD HILL (416) 903-6287 You're invited to attend United Way of Oakville's Annual General Meeting Tuesday, June 17, 2008 7:30 p.m. Willis Hall, Appleby College 540 Lakeshore Road West To confirm your attendance and to register to vote, please RSVP before June 16 to carolann@uwoakville.org or call (905) 845-5571 ext. 239. You are eligible to vote at United Way of Oakville's AGM if you donated $20 or more to the organization in the 2007-2008 fiscal year. www.uwoakville.org