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Tribute garden 'plant-a-thon' honors lives affected by domestic violence

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Fri, Sep 23rd 2016 06:35 pm

2016 'Break the Cycle' event is 'Growing Our Garden, Planting Seeds of Hope'

The Erie County Commission on the Status of Women has announced a "plant-a-thon" will take from 8:30-11:30 a.m. this Saturday at the Domestic Violence Tribute Garden in Isle View Park. The "plant-a-thon" marks a new beginning for the Tribute Garden and replaces the "bike-a-thon" that had been held at the Garden for the past few years.

The event will bring student groups and community partners together to work under the supervision of master gardeners from the Cornell Cooperative Extension to plant hundreds of new flowers and plants in designated beds at the Tribute Garden site.

"The 'plant-a-thon' is a good event for the Domestic Violence Tribute Garden, one which will further beautify this peaceful oasis on the Niagara River and will also help to raise awareness about the problem of domestic violence in our community. We are hoping to create greater community engagement at the garden with this event and spread our message to new audiences," said Executive Director of the Erie County Commission on the Status of Women Karen King, Ph.D. "This will be an opportunity to make a beautiful and lasting impact on the only garden of its kind in Erie County, and also a way to demonstrate to victims of domestic abuse that we support them and we continue to speak out against abuse."

Students and community groups that will be participating in "plant-a-thon" 2016 include the Girl Scouts of WNY Williamsville Troop No. 30803, the Buffalo Center for the Arts and Technology, Access WNY, the Arab-American Community Center for Economic and Social Services, Hispanos Unidos de Buffalo, the University at Buffalo Gender Institute, the Women's Foundation, the Family Justice Center, and the Cornell Cooperative Extension.

The planting will start at 9 a.m. and wrap up at 11 a.m. Attendees are encouraged to bring a gardening trowel if they have one; each student volunteer will receive a pair of tribute garden gardening gloves.

Information about domestic violence and teen dating violence will also be available, and community partners (such as the Family Justice Center) will be on hand to discuss the services they provide.

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