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Hospital to build organic community garden

Submitted by Park City Medical Center
This rendering shows Park City Medical Center s plan for an organic community garden. The bricks along the walkways will be sold by local nonprofits and engraved with donors names. (Image courtesy of Park City Medical Center)
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This summer, Park City Medical Center is putting its money where its mouth is, literally.

The hospital has plans to build a 1,900-square-foot organic community garden on its campus. The garden will be free and open to the public.

"We’ll be planting in June and as soon as we have vegetables, everyone is welcome to come pick a few. The garden will be adjacent to the surrounding Round Valley trail system, and our goal is for people to get some exercise on the trails, then stop by the garden and take home a few veggies or some fruit for a healthy meal," says hospital CEO Rob Allen.

But those who love fresh tomatoes and peppers aren’t the only ones who will benefit from this garden. The hospital is also partnering with five area nonprofits, allowing them to raise money for their causes by selling engraved pavers, which will line the walkways in the new garden.

People’s Health Clinic is one of the charities selected. And Nann Worel, the clinic’s executive director, is thrilled to be part of this program.

"We’re so excited to be selling engraved bricks for our cause. Park City Medical Center has been a great community partner, and this generous program will allow us to further our partnership with them," she explained. "We both want to see a healthier community and we both aim to provide high-quality medical care to our community, regardless of a patient’s ability to pay."

Each nonprofit is allowed to sell 250 pavers for a minimum donation of $150 per brick, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the organization that sells the brick. In total, each nonprofit is expected to raise over $32,000 for its cause.

The nonprofit organizations selling the bricks are:

  1. Mountain Trails Foundation (http://www.mountaintrails.org)
  2. Youth Sports Alliance (http://www.ysaparkcity.org )
  3. The Hope Alliance (http://www.thehopealliance.org)
  4. People’s Health Clinic (http://www.phcpc.org)
  5. Park City Community Foundation (http://www.theparkcityfoundation.org)

Nonprofits were selected based on how closely they aligned with Park City Medical Center’s objectives. The first being to a commitment to provide medical care to those in need, regardless of ability to pay; and the second to compliment the hospital’s LiVe Well Center, which is dedicated to helping people live more active and healthy lifestyles.

"We also felt it was important to include the community foundation, because they support all of the nonprofits in the Park City area. This way, no matter which organization tugs at your heart, you can buy a brick and still support your cause," added Allen

In addition to helping raise over $160,000 for nonprofit organizations, and providing hassle-free organic foods to the public, the hospital hopes the garden will also be a true source of community pride.

"Eventually, we hope to offer educational classes in the garden, like healthy cooking classes, community yoga classes and more. We would love for it to become a true gathering place before people head out for a hike or mountain bike ride. A place where everyone feels a sense of ownership and belonging," Allen said.

The hospital expects to plant this year’s harvest on June 13th. Brick order forms can be found on each of the participating organization’s websites noted above.

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