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Planting Pride
Community Involvement Rockford loves a challenge, and when the opportunity arose to once again participate in the America in Bloom competition, the community jumped at the chance. This year’s effort has
once again been coordinated by the City of Gardens, a program of the Rockford Park District. The City of Gardens was created in 1999 through a donation to the Rockford Park District Foundation from local residents Dan and Ruth Nicholas. The mission of the City of Gardens is to create and promote beautification efforts in our community and to educate residents regarding its importance. In keeping with its mission, coordination of our city’s entry in America in Bloom was a natural fit. Partners include the Rockford Park District, City of Rockford, Winnebago County, the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois, Master Gardeners and Council of Rockford Gardeners, the Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, and a variety of individuals, businesses, and organizations. For this year’s competition, the community focused on two areas: Floral Displays and Community Involvement. The City of Gardens has undertaken a major long-term program to involve
the entire community in urban forestry efforts and to return Rockford to its much-revered title of “The Forest City.” The city’s enormous urban forest canopy, devastated by Dutch Elm disease and a 2003 microburst, has not recovered from the loss (see Urban Forestry). In addition, the community undertook new efforts to clean up and green up. Beautification efforts ignited by the city’s entry into the 2005 and 2007 America in Bloom competition continue through ongoing educational offerings and grant opportunities providing neighborhood groups with bedding plants and flower bulbs for beautifying common areas. The City of Gardens Hanging Basket Program, which began in 1999 with 18 baskets, has expanded to nearly 230 this year. In addition, the Planter Program has grown to more than 100 large planters on display by businesses and organizations. Many local greenhouses have offered discounts on plants in conjunction with Rockford’s entry into America in Bloom. The Community Foundation of Northern Illinois awarded $19,780 last year in grants from the Neighborhood Grants Program to support Rockford’s
America in Bloom competition. There is a remarkable harmony between the guidelines for the America in Bloom project and the objectives of the Neighborhood Grants Program of the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois. Both promote the betterment and enjoyment of the entire community, and they encourage people to work with their neighbors to build a sense of civic pride. The City of Gardens also participates in Comcast Cares day, a nationwide cleanup and beautification endeavor. In both 2013 and 2014, more than 100 volunteers donated time on a Saturday morning to spread mulch and do landscape and trash cleanup at Washington Park Community Center, a facility that serves a large number of at-risk youth in one of Rockford’s most economically distressed neighborhoods. In 2013, Comcast provided the City of Gardens with nearly $2000 in grant funding, which was used to purchase 5000 flower bulbs. These bulbs were distributed to neighborhood groups and non-profit organizations following an educational session on planting and care.
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in our Neighborhoods
The fabric of any community is its neighborhoods, and Rockford is fortunate to have extremely strong neighborhood organizations. This year, in an effort to strengthen the
neighborhood communities, a group of city officials and community leaders have once again banded to further an association of neighborhood groups called the Neighborhood Network. The network’s aim is to identify emerging neighborhood organizations and rejuvenate existing ones through a variety of education and support opportunities.
Promoting neighborhood pride and community involvement has been the focus of the America in Bloom effort, and as a result, an unusually high number of neighborhood clean-ups were held this spring. In April, “Keep Northern Illinois Beautiful” coordinated a community-wide clean-up. Additionally, more than 500 individuals along with several business partners, took part in one of the largest clean-up projects ever through an annual cleanup called Earthbeat. The community received thousands of hours of free community service as a result of that effort. Another focus of the neighborhood efforts is beautification. The Community Foundation of Northern Illinois Neighborhood Grant Program resulted in a number of beautification projects (see list at right). The CSA Learning Center’s Roots and Wings Youth Garden Project began in 2003 at Northwest Community Center and has expanded to eight neighborhoods. The Roots and Wings program increases the capacity of at-risk youth in the Rockford area to serve as environmental stewards in their neighborhood through hands-on farm- and garden-based education and community service. Youth learn about the environmental and health impacts on the food system, and serve as peer leaders to help design and lead activities. The vegetables they produce are sold at farmer’s markets.
Grant Listing for Neighborhood Grant Fund Supports neighborhood-based groups and organizations to improve the quality of life in neighborhoods FY13 (July 1, 2012 - June 30, 2013) 1. Churchill’s Grove Neighborhood: built an 8' x 8’ wooden arbor to place
over a picnic table at the Churchill’s Grove Community Garden, along with four large planters for perennial vines. . . . . . . . . . . $349.00 2. City of Gardens: Gator Bags for Drought Affected Trees . .
$500.00
3. EDEEN City of Rockford’s Commercial Corridor, Economic Dev., Education and Entrepreneurship Network c/o Rock River Dev. Partnership: EDEEN Beautification Network — public parking lot
beautification, East State St from Water St to Third St . . . $2,500.00 4. Ethnic Heritage Museum: The Ethnic Heritage Museum
Landscaping and Beautification Project, Phase II . . . . . . $1,632.00 5. Haight Village National Register Historic District: Please use
our new garbage receptacles to for your trash . . . . . . . . $2,500.00 6. JASSY Neighborhood Watch Group: Flowers for Fun . .
$1,885.00
7. J eremiah Development: Party in the Park . . . . . . . . . $2,000.00 8. North End Square Neighborhood Association:
Beautification of Huffman Blvd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $2,239.94 9. Orchid 3rd, Union, College Neighborhood Association, Inc.:
Orchid community get-togethers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $390.00 10. ORCHiD 3UC Neighborhood Association, Inc.: Trash can
collaboration with RHA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $3,983.75 11. West Gateway Coalition: West Side Pride . . . . . . . . . $1,800.00 Grand Totals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $19,779.69