Red Cross cuts ribbon on Garden of Hope project

at Monroe High School

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Tuesday, June 14, 2011—The American Red Cross of Greater Rochester is excited to announce the grand opening of the new “Garden of Hope,” a service learning project that was completed by the Red Cross Next Generation Leaders Program in collaboration with The Children’s School of Rochester. The Garden, which is comprised of flowers and vegetables, is located at The Children’s School of Rochester, 494 Averill Avenue, Rochester, NY 14607.

The project was made possible through a $1,000 grand through Monroe County Youth-As-Resources, which required service learning as part of its fulfillment criteria. “This project was chosen because it has great potential to teach younger children the value of service through learning and allowed us to put our leadership skills into action,” said Liz Cinquino, Assistant Director of the Next Generation Leaders Program at the American Red Cross. High school youth working on the project through the Red Cross NGLP learned how to coach, teach, and mentor other children in grades K-6.

The Garden of Hope is also functioning as a memorial for two people who were very special to the school: Staff Sergeant Javier Ortiz, who was killed in action in Afghanistan on November 16, 2010. Ortiz attended Monroe High School and was active in the Red Cross NGLP (formerly known as the Hispanic Youth Leadership Development Program). The Garden also includes a memorial to beloved kindergarten teacher Deb Folloco, who passed away after teaching at school #15 for many years.

The ribbon cutting ceremony will be tomorrow at 3:30 at School #15, The Children’s School, at 494 Averill Avenue. Media are invited to attend. For more information, please contact Erin Caldwell at 585-370-1834.