Going Green with Greenbo New Grant Teaches Gardening Skills to Youth

Going Green with Greenbo

New Grant Teaches Gardening Skills to Youth

Gwen Akers

The Ashland Beacon

When it’s time for a day at the lake, what is the first place you think of? For many of us, that is Greenbo Lake State Resort Park. Greenbo Lake State Resort Park has been serving our community since its opening in the 1970s, and now they have something new—something green—on the horizon.

The Friends of Greenbo is a nonprofit group that works closely with Greenbo staff to bring funding and unique events into the park. Never ones to shy away from a challenge, the Friends of Greenbo do everything they can to get the community involved in the park, whether that is through volunteering at Greenbo events, planning new and exciting projects, or even just getting to know staff members at Greenbo.

“All friends in this community just love to camp and love to go to Greenbo,” explained member Scott Hill. “Our mission was just to support Greenbo, very simply, support Greenbo.”

The Friends have certainly become a “blessing” to the park, and this summer the Friends were able to introduce another new project to the park: the Green Project. Funded by the Greenup County Green Grant, an endowment through the Foundation for the Tri-State established in 1999 in memory of Owen and Doris Pillans.

“The purpose of the fund, according to the document, was to encourage projects which physically improve and enhance the natural environment and quality in Greenup County Kentucky and support educational or research projects which promote or develop these goals,” detailed Hill. After working closely with park manager Brenda Danner, they filled out the paperwork and were delighted to find that they were selected for the grant!

The grant allowed Greenbo to construct raised flower beds near the campground, making them accessible to the majority of foot traffic at Greenbo. The flower beds are not only beautiful but also serve as an educational opportunity for children staying at Greenbo to learn about and participate in gardening. The children themselves are involved at every step of the project—from building the raised bed to planting the flowers.

“I think it's a great thing for our community,” explained Hill. “Greenbo has always had crafts and different things as a part of their programming, but this is a nice little addition, and so far, it seems like it’s been well received so that’s exciting.”

The inaugural session of the Green Project happened this past weekend, where children staying in the campground had the opportunity to build a raised bed, sow the soil, and plant some of Kentucky’s native wildflowers—learning all about gardening techniques and the different types of flowers we have in our state along the way.

The Green Project will continue throughout the rest of the summer, with updates posted daily on the Greenbo Lake State Resort Park Facebook page. Alongside this, however, more exciting new projects are on the horizon for the park. Thanks to a grant from Marathon, Greenbo is also only two weeks away from having two brand-new tennis courts located near their lodge.

“It’s just exciting because it’s something that we can do–give back to the community, promote health and wellness–there’s so many good things that will come out of this project,” explained Hill, a tennis player himself.

As everything around, us is turning green with the heat of summer, don’t forget to cool off and experience the Green Project at Greenbo Lake Resort Park. For more information, check out the Greenbo Lake State Resort Park Facebook page.