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The question asked every day
Grow Benzie is a "grand vision" directed toward children. It is designed to meet community needs using agriculture, mentoring, a teaching kitchen, and hands on learning to develop better health, job, and life skills.
Ours is not a short term fix . We are a grassroots effort providing education and role models to help people make better choices. Through gardening and good nutrition obesity can be attacked. Through exposure to new ideas job skills can be developed, entrepreneurship encouraged, and self reliance achieved. Notably, future job growth opportunities in Northwest Michigan are in both agriculture and food preparation.
The roots of Benzie County and America began small and local, with individuals taking care of each other in their community. We are doing what is needed and not relying on government to lead the way.
Grow Benzie's goal is to be responsive to our community's changing needs. An early example is the sewing room. A group from the community wanted a place to teach sewing, certainly not something we'd thought of as a need to be addressed initially. With work from volunteers and some generous donations of equipment and materials, the room is up and running. The 35 tablecloths for the "Big" event are being created by mentors helping others using vintage and donated fabrics as an example of recycling what we have into useable and lovely new items.
Consider these points:
This generation of children are not expected to live as long as their parents.
Only 4 % of children in 1960 were obese but in 2009 it had increased to 33%. How did this happen? Both parents working- more eating out and consuming high quantities of food lacking nutrition- fewer balanced meals cooked at home- fewer fresh local foods being consumed.
Grow Benzie is a place of giving-
Giving children a chance to challenge their potential.
We are about teaching people a better way, giving them a chance to prosper and give back to their community. That builds sustainability, self esteem, and ultimately a vital community.
Art Prevue on
Friday, July 23rd!
"Ho"-Down Saturday July 24th!
Reservations 231 352 4487
Growing Healthier Children in Benzie County |
