Fwd: Words of wisdom...

**A*@aol.com**

In a message dated 4/26/05 12:49:04 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
deborah@greencure.org writes:

> Subj: Re: [cg] Words of wisdom... 
>  Date: 4/26/05 12:49:04 PM Eastern Daylight Time
>  From: deborah@greencure.org
>  To: Adam36055@aol.com
>  Sent from the Internet 
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you Adam for shedding light on this issue. I believe you said it 
> perfectly and I will take action on this. 
>  
> I also want to thank everyone else with their words of support and wisdom. 
>  
> Deborah
Return-Path: <deborah@greencure.org>
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From: "Deborah Mills" <deborah@greencure.org>
To: <Adam36055@aol.com>
References: <1a8.3685010d.2f9e2359@aol.com>
Subject: Re: [cg] Words of wisdom...
Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 09:52:44 -0700
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Thank you Adam for shedding light on this issue. I believe you said it
perfectly and I will take action on this.

I also want to thank everyone else with their words of support and wisdom.

Deborah
  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Adam36055@aol.com
  To: deborah@greencure.org ; community_garden@mallorn.com
  Sent: Monday, April 25, 2005 3:41 AM
  Subject: Re: [cg] Words of wisdom...

  Deborah,

  The problem with community gardens "started from the top," instead of "grown
from the rooots," comes down to the nexus of a volunteer organization having
the structural problem/habit of looking to "Dad," or "Mom," to provide
guidance, direction and material support. This isn't fatal, and often is
helpful in the beginning - the step of transitioning to organizational
adulthood and self governance is hard. Walking away and trusting the thing to
run itself is emotionally very hard, but essential.

  There comes a point where you have to slap the baby on the fanny, and it has
to start to breathe by itself.

  Your membership has to be self-sustaining, take on the responsibilities of
governing and maintaining the garden.  If the land lease is OK, then the issue
is to go to the gardeners and say, " You like this place? Well, I gotta go,
and you have to get it together to run this place fairly and honestly. It was
nice the old way, but lots of gardens run themselves - it requires effort and
meetings.  If you want to do this, and keep this garden going, then here are
some samples of garden rules, and governance of community gardens that run
themselves.

  You can use by-laws from any number of community gardens, the Clinton
Community Garden's governance is on line at
http://www.clintoncommunitygarden.org/ for starters, there are others you can
access from the ACGA website, and the garden links page.  Throw in a "Robert's
Rules of Order," and suggest that they look to ways of supporting the project
they have taken from, if they find it of enough value.

  The crux of the matter is the gardeners have to see themselves as givers to
their local community instead of "clients," or "recipients."  Otherwise the
garden structure collapses when Dad or Mom goes away.

  Everbest,
  Adam Honigman
  Volunteer,
  Clinton Community Garden

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