THE GARDEN STORY

Retail Construction Services, Inc. is dedicated to giving back.

We give back not only to those in need within our community, but also the future generations of this wonderful community. What started out as a great idea has grown exponentially and became an amazing reality. Here at the RCS Giving Garden, school groups, master gardeners, corporate volunteers, and our own employees work together for the common good of teaching children the art of gardening and the importance of healthy eating. Click Here for Full Story.

LOCATION:
Retail Construction Services, Inc.
11343 39th Street N.
Lake Elmo, MN 55042

From HWY 36 - go south on Lake Elmo Ave, turn left onto 39th Street, garden is at corner of 39th and Laverne.
From HWY 5- going west from Stillwater take right onto Laverne (near Fury dealership) garden is on the right at corner of Laverne and 39th street.

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The RCS Giving Garden

The RCS Giving Garden

7/31/12

A Healed Femur

The RCS Giving Garden is in desperate need of volunteers to help with picking produce and keeping up on the weeding. Last week we put out a plea for help to several local groups; one of which was the Washington County Master Gardener program (WCMG). The response from this group has been absolutely wonderful!

Paul Richtman
Master Gardener
This past Monday morning, I pulled into the parking lot and could see someone quietly weeding away in the garden… It was Paul Richtman, one of the Master Gardeners who has helped us with so many projects since the garden began in 2009. What a wonderful surprise! Paul has to be one of the fastest garden weeders I know! By the time I went to snap a photo of him in the garden, he was gone… and so were many, many, many weeds as was evidenced by the piles of weeds he pulled! So, this photo of Paul is from planting day this spring. (We will catch you next time Paul!)

At last Thursday’s WCMG meeting, Paul spoke to the group about the desperate need of help at the Giving Garden. After emails with WCMG and Paul’s pitch, we have received interest from three others.

Kathy Luoma
Master Gardener
One of the Master Gardeners that stepped forward is Kathy Luoma. Kathy is a new Master Gardener and is also a former elementary teacher who has been volunteering with kids through the schools and doing volunteer gardening work at Rutherford Elementary in Stillwater. Kathy came out to the garden this past Tuesday, July 31st, to learn about the garden and the volunteer possibilities. She has some wonderful ideas she is working on and also offered to bring volunteers out with her to the garden.

It was another scorcher in the garden, but despite the heat, Kathy asked if she could work on a project for us. We had her trim cucumber vines and get the run-away runners onto the structures. Not only did she do this to the entire cucumber patch in that mid-afternoon heat, but she weeded both rows! WOW!


Click any Photo to Enlarge
Someone asked the anthropologist Margaret Mead (1901-1978), "What is the first sign you look for, to tell you of an ancient civilization?" The interviewer had in mind a tool or article of clothing. Ms. Mead surprised him by answering, a "healed femur". When someone breaks a femur, they can't survive to hunt, fish or escape enemies unless they have help from someone else. Thus, a healed femur indicates that someone else helped that person, rather than abandoning them and saving themselves. Isn't that what we in philanthropy are all about? Healing femurs of one sort or another?

Paul and Kathy – we extend the most sincere “thank you” to both of you… Your volunteer time in the garden not only helps with the day-to-day garden tasks, but you are healing a femur of sorts ---- a break we had in volunteers that needed healing.

Thank you for helping heal the garden
with your time and talents!