Spring Break
Remington plants seeds for the future
Community's plans to beautify the neighborhood come to fruition with Babcox's leadership
Issue date: 4/10/08
With one knee planted in the dirt, the man known as the "Urban Johnny Appleseed" gently cups the beaming yellow petals of a daffodil.
The blue box that encloses the cluster of flowers is just one of 80 boxes that line the sidewalks of the Remington neighborhood, which spans from Wyman Park Drive to North Ave.
"I like to plant unusual flowers, because you never know what's going to pop up," said a white-bearded Peter Babcox, who has been an integral part of the beautification of the Remington neighborhood since he arrived in Baltimore almost 30 years ago.
Upon receiving the Baltimore Community Fellowship in 2005 from the Open Society Institute, a private organization that funds individual philanthropic projects, Babcox began work on what eventually evolved into the Remington Public Gardens Project.
The program builds optimism in the neighborhood by creating a public garden that is distributed throughout the neighborhood, so that "bit by bit, people will notice the flowers and begin to feel proud of [their] neighborhood," Babcox said.
"Poor kids in a neighborhood like this grow up with a fairly acute sense of powerlessness. So many of them experience evictions, and so many families just suddenly disappear. [Children] don't have much autonomy or decision-making power in school [or] their homes," the former kindergarten teacher said.
When the project was first initiated in November 2005, Babcox's enthusiasm was met with apathy from the neighborhood. Thanks to volunteers from the Church of the Guardian Angel, where Babcox attends services, about 20 blue boxes were seeded.
Although the lampposts held notices for volunteers, Babcox received little support from residents.
"The decision was impulsive and na've at the same time," Babcox admitted. "I thought, if the children saw me digging outside they would be curious and want to help - dig up worms, hear stories, make things - but they were more interested in watching television. Lack of interest was a source of frustration."
The blue box that encloses the cluster of flowers is just one of 80 boxes that line the sidewalks of the Remington neighborhood, which spans from Wyman Park Drive to North Ave.
"I like to plant unusual flowers, because you never know what's going to pop up," said a white-bearded Peter Babcox, who has been an integral part of the beautification of the Remington neighborhood since he arrived in Baltimore almost 30 years ago.
Upon receiving the Baltimore Community Fellowship in 2005 from the Open Society Institute, a private organization that funds individual philanthropic projects, Babcox began work on what eventually evolved into the Remington Public Gardens Project.
The program builds optimism in the neighborhood by creating a public garden that is distributed throughout the neighborhood, so that "bit by bit, people will notice the flowers and begin to feel proud of [their] neighborhood," Babcox said.
"Poor kids in a neighborhood like this grow up with a fairly acute sense of powerlessness. So many of them experience evictions, and so many families just suddenly disappear. [Children] don't have much autonomy or decision-making power in school [or] their homes," the former kindergarten teacher said.
When the project was first initiated in November 2005, Babcox's enthusiasm was met with apathy from the neighborhood. Thanks to volunteers from the Church of the Guardian Angel, where Babcox attends services, about 20 blue boxes were seeded.
Although the lampposts held notices for volunteers, Babcox received little support from residents.
"The decision was impulsive and na've at the same time," Babcox admitted. "I thought, if the children saw me digging outside they would be curious and want to help - dig up worms, hear stories, make things - but they were more interested in watching television. Lack of interest was a source of frustration."
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davidmush
Do my Thesis
posted 11/14/09 @ 5:14 PM EST
Thanks for great news! :)
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