When she was younger, Sarah Marcogliese’s dreams were filled with images of plants.
That’s why she didn’t hesitate when she was asked to help lay the foundation for an upgraded community garden at an Aurora-based residential treatment center for troubled teenaged girls, many of whom also share a love of growing plants.
Marcogliese, a Denver resident and owner of a landscaping company called Native Earth, was among 30 volunteers who broke ground on a community garden at Excelsior Youth Center April 20.
The 33-year-old business owner went through her own share of abuse and neglect as a young child, and gardening helped her cope.
“I discovered plants through the process and found them very therapeutic,” she said.
She hopes the garden will eventually grow to be a healing place for the girls at Excelsior who have struggled with abuse, neglect and assault.
For 13-year-old Fiona, a resident at Excelsior Youth Center who preferred not to use her last name, gardening has given her a purpose in life.
Fiona, who said she is at Excelsior because of suicide attempts, belongs to group called the “Girl Sprouts Garden Club.”
“It makes me feel good that I’m doing something right for the world, and makes me feel like I am a good person,” she said.
She can’t wait to grow marigolds when the revamped community garden is ready for planting in a few weeks.
“They’re like big sunbursts, they’re like gigantic dandelions and they’re bright and cheery and puffy and they look like pompons,” she said.
Joan Gabrielson, executive director at Excelsior, said gardening is one of the activities that helps empower teens who are in the treatment program.
“A lot of our girls have been told their whole life they’re worthless and not good at anything,” she said.
Lots of times, the girls also start believing they deserve to be abused, she said. “We really try to give them an accomplishment, whatever it is, whether it’s painting or a math class or cooking or planting,” she said.
Excelsior Youth Center, the largest residential treatment center in the United States for girls, was founded in 1973 and houses about 150 girls between 11 and 18 years old.
About 25 girls were regular gardeners last summer, and about eight of them were members of the “Girl Sprouts Garden Club.”
The new community garden and greenhouse at Excelsior is expected to cost about $55,000 and will be completed in two years. About $14,000 has already been raised from the Colorado Garden Show, United Airlines, and Concerts for Kids, among other foundations.
The money will go toward creating a grand entryway into the garden, adding sprawling plants, and increasing the gardening space.
Volunteers who helped with the community garden on April 20 said they were inspired by meeting the girls and hearing stories of how they overcame their personal obstacles.
Kara Burke, owner of Denver-based Petals Fine Gardening, said she was so touched by her volunteering experience that she plans to return in the coming months.
“For them, growing food is going to be as empowering as learning to read,” said Burke, who began gardening about 30 years ago when the industry was still mainly dominated by men. “This isn’t a hobby garden. They are going to learn how to feed themselves and their families and others around them. I’m just helping lay a foundation for the next generation and the generation after them.”
Marcogliese, who also plans to continue helping with the community garden, hopes to impart some words of advice, having gone through life lessons of her own.
“I think the lesson for girls is to know that childhood does end,” she said. “There’s a point in your life when you get to make choices for yourself, and if you can properly equip yourself and love yourself and respect yourself enough and not look for love and respect from other people, you have the best possible chance of discovering what it is that actually makes you passionate, as opposed to just trying to survive.”
Reach reporter Sara Castellanos at 720-449-9036 or sara@aurorasentinel.com.