ARC Gardeners Begin Annual Schoen Place
Beautification Today! Thursday May 24!


WHAT
Volunteer gardeners from Arc of Monroe will begin their annual gardening project along the Erie Canal at Schoen Place in Pittsford in preparation for the 2012 Memorial Day start to the summer canalling season.

WHEN & WHERE
Thursday May 24th

  • 10 a.m. - Lucas Greenhouses  - 23 Pannell Circle, Fairport;
  • 11 – 12 Noon  - Sam Patch Ticket Booth   - Schoen Place, Pittsford
  • Noon – 1:15 - Sam Patch Lunch Cruise for Gardeners


Seven volunteer gardeners from the Arc of Monroe County (arcmonroe.org) under the direction of Arc Horticulturist Ashly Klaus, have been quietly planting and tending a summer and fall garden surrounding the Sam Patch packet boat ticket booth from May through October since 2009.
 
On May 24, Arc gardeners will visit Lucas Greenhouses in Fairport to select plants for the garden. Owner Susan Palomaki donates plants each spring and fall. The group will then go to Schoen Place, and plant the garden. Gardening will be followed by a Sam Patch boat cruise, a tradition for the gardeners each time they return during the canalling season.
 
Schoen Place is a popular gathering place for tourists, area residents, and of course thousands of Sam Patch passengers each summer. The gardeners’ work has drawn accolades from Village of Pittsford officials, and the public.  The project grew out of a special outreach program started by Corn Hill Navigation that has been funded by The Golisano Foundation (golisanofoundation.org) since 2006. The “Mary Jemison Welcome Aboard! Outreach Initiative” provides financial support to help offset the costs of canal cruises for individuals with developmental disabilities, their families, friends and caregivers.
 
Arc gardeners have already visited Schoen Place to weed and prepare the garden for planting.
 
“We are so pleased to have been the catalyst for creating opportunities for individuals with special needs, and helping them be active members of their community,” said Ann Costello, Golisano Foundation Executive Director. “This is a wonderful collaborative project that helps enhance the beauty and appeal of Schoen Place and gives the volunteer gardeners a great sense of pride and accomplishment for their contributions.”
 
In 2008, community-minded program participants from Arc of Monroe insisted upon providing services to the nonprofit Corn Hill Navigation (CHN) in exchange for their cruises. They began by assisting with the organization’s annual mass mailing. In 2009, they helped the organization go green by recycling all the bottles, cans, glass and paper from the Sam Patch and Mary Jemison boats – after which they donated the proceeds from the deposits they amassed to needy families and to the Seneca Park Zoo. And they began the gardening project at Schoen Place.
 
“Since 2009, Arc of Monroe volunteers have become an integral part of our Sam Patch and Mary Jemison boat operations, and we are very grateful for their support,” said Corn Hill Navigation President Victoria Schmitt. “We also delight in the friendships that have grown between ARC volunteers and CHN staff as a result of working together on collaborative projects.”
 
Corn Hill Navigation, the nonprofit operator of the Mary Jemison and Sam Patch boats, enters its third decade of service to the Monroe County community in 2012.  The organization showcases the Erie Canal and its Genesee River Extension as living history, facilitating the 21st century reinvention of these historic waterways as international tourist destinations, educational resources and stimuli for economic revitalization. 

P.O. Box 18417 Rochester, NY 14618 585-662-5748 www.samandmary.org

Media Contacts:
Corn Hill Navigation: Victoria Schmitt, 585-509-8229, vsschmitt@gmail.com
Arc of Monroe: Jackie Crego, 585-672-2228, crego@arcmonroe.org
Golisano Foundation: Jean Dalmath (585-755-6911), jdalmath@dalmath.com