La Casita Verde Preschool Seeks Volunteers for 'Big Sunday' Garden Event

On Saturday, April 21, parents and community members gathered at to break up the soil in a patch of ground that will be the focus of May 5's Big Sunday beautification project.

But, Saturday’s effort is just one piece of a garden design project started in 2009, when La Casita Verde was chosen by Matthew Evans, senior landscape architect and horticulturist of the United States Capitol, to receive his design plans to improve the outdoor space for the pre-school's children.  The outdoor space, which extends to the elevated sidewalk along Figueroa, is used daily by  children as a place to play and learn. However, it also serves the community at large as a well-kept, and pleasant element along historic Figueroa Street.

This year’s work is to implement the “Children Stroll Garden and Fragrance Path" element of Evans' plan. This project involves installing several stepping-stone walkways, planted with different types of flowers and fragrant  plants. Not only will the fragrance path stimulate their sense of smell, it will allow the children to utilize their sense of balance as they walk along the stepping-stones.

Saturday’s hard work with pick and shovel was just one day of volunteering on the project, though.  On May 5, the community is invited to help with the most enjoyable part of the project--to plant the design and see how beautiful the garden will become. 

Big Sunday Weekend is the largest event organized by the non-profit Big Sunday, whose mission is to build community through community service.     The La Casita Verde project is one of about 500 projects being organized from San Diego to San Francisco, all welcoming any contributions and work from our community.   La Casita’s project also had an earlier date in March, when 40 students for Polytechnic Middle School came and worked to help clean and weed the existing beds in the garden.

This year’s project has matching funds gratefully received through a grant from the Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative (LANI) , whose mission is to stimulate community-driven neighborhood revitalization.  The details of the landscaping project are being organized by Katharine Parra of Gung Hoe Garden Girls  (who also organize the events at the Lummis Home and Gardens). 

La Casita Verde serves 47 children between the ages of 6 weeks through Pre-K , of all family income levels, and is one of Mount Washington's Preschool and Child Care Centers programs (MWPCCC).   

MWPCCC is community-based, non-profit organization whose mission is to create, manage and sustain developmentally appropriate, high quality, available, culturally-sensitive pre-school, childcare in our diverse community. 

To come help plant the Fragrance Garden on May 5, please sign up here.

This article was submitted by Pat Griffith,  Mount Washington Preschool and Child Care Center Board Chair.