Miami and Homestead Job Corps Centers youth volunteers kicked off a large scale beautification project benefitting Overtown’s “Roots In The City”  in honor of Make A Difference Day on Friday, October 22, 2010 in Overtown, Florida.   Also on site to lend their helping hands for this beautification project of planting gardens, cleaning debris and pulling weeds alongside NW 3^rd Avenue and NW 9^th street were key academic, environmental and government sponsors. Highlights included State Representative Dwight M. Bullard speaking to the Job Corps youth about the value of community service, native plants and trees donated from Fairchild Tropical Botanical Gardens and hands on gardening demonstrations from the organizations founder, Dr. Marvin Dunn, Ph.D.  

For an area that’s seen its share of violent crime problems, the “Roots In The City” organizations sustainable green gardening methods have put land to good use and helped revitalize the community.  Since it’s onset in 1994, this urban farm has trained local residents of Overtown to grow food and prepare for a career in horticulture.  With tough economic times at hand, urban agriculture projects like Roots in the City are sprouting up all over the place.  In  providing low cost food sources that simultaneously enliven urban landscapes and improve air quality, both the stakeholders and the environment get the pay offs.

Kudos to the young volunteers and their sponsors whose sustainable development efforts have so honorably impacted local citizens and the environment.

Blog Writer:  Lori M. Trujillo