Support for School Peace Gardens
The Remember Me Rose School Garden Awards

Author: Barbara E. Richardson

The rose: our national flower and a symbol of love. These beloved flowers inspired Sue Casey of Portland, OR, to found "Remember Me" Rose Gardens, an organization dedicated to planting public rose gardens at each of the September 11th crash sites. Each garden will serve as a living tribute to the people who died there, and offer a place for peaceful contemplation and healing.

As Sue and the volunteer board of "Remember Me" Rose Gardens make progress in creating the commemorative rose gardens, they are discovering opportunities to share parts of the organization's wider vision. For instance, thanks to partnership with the National Gardening Association (NGA), Sue's desire to help children experience the comfort gardens offer during hard times now has a vehicle: the "Remember Me" Rose School Garden Awards. These awards are available to schools that wish to build their own healing, fragrant oases.

The awards, sponsored by Messenger and Edmunds Roses, will provide twenty schools with rose bushes, Messenger plant biostimulant, and educational materials with which to create peace gardens to commemorate the events of September 11th. They will also catalyze and support training in conflict resolution and mediation skills that prepare students to seek and achieve fair and peaceful solutions to conflicts

Edmunds' Roses of Wilsonville, OR, has supported "Remember Me" Rose Gardens almost since its inception. They and other rose growers have offered their help by naming new rose varieties to honor people who lost their lives in the attacks. Proceeds from sales of these roses are dedicated to maintaining the three gardens. Of the nine rose varieties to be named, two have been introduced by Edmunds’ Roses: a red hybrid called 'Firefighter', and a yellow and pink climber named 'Soaring Spirits'. ('Soaring Spirits' is included in the 2005 "Remember Me" Rose School Garden Awards package.)

The lead sponsor of the "Remember Me" School Garden Awards is Messenger, a product of Eden Bioscience Corporation. When the chance arose for Messenger to fund the awards, Jeff McClellan, Home & Garden Market Manager for Eden Bioscience recognized a strong connection among the parties involved. "'Remember Me' Rose Gardens and the 'Remember Me' Rose School Garden Awards program are a tribute to the memory of those who perished in the events of September 11, 2001, and the conviction that their lives will inspire us in the future. The recognition of the beauty lost that day and the hope for that beauty to resurrect itself is perfectly symbolized by a rose. These gardens signify recognition, remembrance, and resurrection. Messenger is honored to support and compliment the objective of these gardens. Messenger releases the natural potential in plants to be strong, healthy, and beautiful. It relies on the innate natural systems in all plants to not just withstand the environmental pressures that rob them of their vitality, but to actually stimulate and leverage their natural abilities to thrive."

The hope is that these awards will help children tap their innate desire for happiness, provide opportunities for personal and academic growth, and develop the skills necessary to create and enjoy a peaceful future. Visit here to find out more about the Remember Me Rose School Garden Award.

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