Nearly 200 Volunteers Construct Gardens
OCEANSIDE, May 18 – Nearly 200 volunteers came out this past Saturday and Sunday for the completion of three healing gardens at Tri-City Medical Center. The project was a collaborative effort by the Tri-City Hospital Foundation, Tri-City Medical Center employees and North Coast Church.
“Our patients will find the healing gardens a peaceful, quiet place to reflect. We thank all of our volunteers for taking the time to help build such a special place for our patients, visitors, employees and community,” said Tri-City Hospital Foundation CEO, Tobi Ferguson. “Our employees have raised money to build a healing garden, but we never could have accomplished something this wonderful without the generous help of North Coast Church.
North Coast Church spearheaded this project, organizing volunteers and arranging for donations of materials. North Coast Church raised funds to finance the weekend expenses for building materials, parts, lumber, paint, shovels and landscaping equipment. The church raised $100,000 to do $1 million worth of work at 100 different sites. Dozens of companies have donated to the Tri-City healing gardens, including Home Depot, Lowe’s, RCP Block & Brick and Hydro-Scape.
“This was one of our larger projects during Weekend of Service,” said Charlie Bradshaw, executive pastor of North Coast Church in Vista. “During this weekend, we close our church doors and instead of going to church, we go out into the community to be the church, lending a helping hand in a big way.”
Research has shown that healing gardens can have a therapeutic effect on patients with serious illnesses. They can improve patients’ well-being by providing a place of refuge and a relaxing atmosphere that promotes healing. Spending time in a healing garden is thought to reduce stress levels, anxiety and blood pressure. It’s also a place of bringing families and visitors together in a pleasant and homelike environment.
Emerson Grimsby, the North Coast Church city leader for the Oceanside area, said that he spent almost every day of the projects two months at the site, and explained that it involved much more than putting new plants in the ground.
“This project has special significance for me,” he said. “My daughter Amy rehabilitated in one of the rooms that is next to the new garden after a severe neck injury.”
Amy was one of the volunteers. She planted flowers right outside the very room where she stayed.
Tri-City Medical Center is a full-service hospital with physicians practicing in 60 specialties. The medical center is administered by the Tri-City Healthcare District, which includes most of Carlsbad, Oceanside and Vista.
Tri-City Hospital Foundation is a link between the community and the hospital. Since its creation, the Foundation has raised over $39 million. Many of the hospital’s most mission-critical facilities have been supported in whole or part by Foundation initiatives.
