Aspire of WNY’s Beleaf-Abilities program continues to GROW across our agency, giving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities meaningful opportunities to connect with nature and build new skills.
Through this program, participants can plant seeds, nurture life, and watch their hard work bloom! These gardens provide hands-on experience in growing vegetables, herbs, flowers, and more, all while cultivating confidence, communication, and a sense of purpose.
This year’s Second Annual Day of Planting brought together individuals along with staff members to take part in a variety of activities. Together, they weeded, planted, watered, and even painted rocks to decorate the garden beds. In addition to planting wildflowers this year, new plants were added including lavender, spearmint, rosemary, dried flowers, and pansies. These additions will help expand what can be used throughout the year using this program. Once fully grown, many of them will be used in creative and hands on projects for the people we support like soap making, art activities, and cooking!
As Megan Rechin, Executive Vice President of Innovation and Strategy, shared, “The Beleaf-Abilities program is more than just growing plants. It supports growth, sensory experiences, and skill-building for the people we support.”
