Hope Garden Renovations

The Hope Garden, located on the Northern side of the Upper Campus, was recently redone by Aiden McGavin, an ASA alumnus, for his Eagle Scout Service Project. Aiden is a senior at Catholic Central and started in scouts as a Tiger Cub in ASA's pack 3328. 

Aiden wrote the following about his project:

I had come up with the idea for my Eagle Scout Service Project to be all about native plants almost a year ago when I was working with the City of Grand Rapids to design and install a larger garden in one of their parks. But as time went on, I realized that the legalities and logistics of installing a garden in a City Park would be a bit too much to handle. However, ASA came to mind almost immediately as an organization that I could work with. 

After talking with Ms. Giroux, Mr. Debri, and Fr. Tom, I came up with a design to renovate the Hope Garden. Having been totally taken with weeds and overgrown plants, the Hope Garden, located on the Northern side of the campus, could have used a little help. I was exhilarated to finally move forward with this project so that my volunteers and I could not only make a difference in the aesthetics of the school, but also maximize the environmental benefits of the area.

After putting together an extensive proposal for the renovation of the Hope Garden, I presented my project to a special board of review at the BSA Michigan Crossroads Council, who approved the project. I also wrote a grant request to the Saint Alphonsus Educational Endowment Board, who were the major financial donors to the project. Once I had my paperwork and finances all settled, I gathered my materials, tools, supplies, and volunteers, and got to work. 

Essentially what we did with the Hope Garden was remove much of the existing plant material that was overgrown and replaced it with new and mostly native plants. We also added some nutrient-dense soil to provide the plants with a but of extra nutrition. Once the plants were in, we added wood chips and a special sign that identifies the garden as a ‘pollinator habitat’. And this is what makes this garden special. The plants that I chose to put in this garden were specially chosen to attract native pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. All of these pollinators contribute immensely to our ecosystem and agricultural industry. Since native pollinators are on the decline, I felt that I had to do something to help them out. So by planting this small garden, bees and other pollinators within about a 3 mile radius of ASA’s Upper Campus now have a safe place where they can feed on nectar and pollen, while also contributing to their respective environment. 

This project was made possible from the support of All Saints Academy and St. Jude Parish’s administration teams, the Saint Alphonsus Educational Endowment Board, Mackinaw Landscaping, Lily and Sean McGavin, and all of the volunteers that sacrificed a couple days of their summer to work with me in the heat and humidity of late August. Finally, Mr. Jon Fournier (former ASA staff member, Boy Scout leader, and mentor), who past away in 2017 was a big inspiration of mine in my Scouting journey. He was always there to help me make progress towards my Eagle, and though he is not physically here with us, his memory still motivates me and has pushed me along the toilsome trail to my Eagle. So I’d like to give him a big thanks as well.