Wing Haven Celebrates Grand Opening of the SEED Wildlife Garden & Children’s Garden
With two events, Wing Haven Foundation celebrated the grand opening of the new SEED Wildlife Garden & renovated Children’s Garden made possible, in part, with gifts and grants from The James Family Foundation, The Reemprise Fund, The PNC Foundation, Edifice, Inc., and other donors. The invitation-only event included a behind-the-scenes tour, followed by a light lunch and refreshments. The Saturday Grand Opening featured activities for children and light refreshment. Both events included a ribbon cutting with remarks by Wing Haven Executive Director Barrett Ranson and Director of Education & Outreach Jill Goodrich. The SEED Wildlife Garden, years in the design and making, is the second new garden space in nearly 50 years of the Wing Haven Foundation’s history (incorporated as a nonprofit in 1971) to adjoin with and complement the historical 3-acre Wing Haven Garden & Bird Sanctuary created by Eddie and Elizabeth Clarkson in 1927.
In response to children’s disconnect from nature and our increased dependence on technology, the SEED (Student Environmental Education & Discovery) Wildlife Garden keeps the dedicated vision of Wing Haven Garden & Bird Sanctuary creators alive by providing nature-based learning and enjoyment. The mission of the SEED Wildlife Garden is to make available an enriching, outdoor educational environment for year-round study and exploration of nature, horticulture, and ornithology. The completed project includes an additional 3⁄4-acre referred to as SEED Wildlife Garden and the renovation of the existing Children’s Garden at Wing Haven. Whereas the focus of the Children’s Garden is raised bed gardening and gathering, the central focus of the new space is birdlife, nature exploration, and outdoor learning. These two gardens aim to further enhance the current programming at Wing Haven for both children and adults. Additionally, this new space will allow us to serve more of the Charlotte community and expand our outreach to under-served children participating in PEEPs (Preschool Environmental Education Program).
At Edifice, we are pleased to support these beautiful gardens.
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