A garden grown from positivity
Amélie Harris-McGeehan’s inspiration for the Community Garden in Woodbury came from an unlikely place — her cancer diagnosis
Cancer is one of those life-altering words, but Woodbury resident Amélie Harris-McGeehan refused to let the words “breast cancer” ruin her life. Instead, her situation provided motivation to do something big: create a Community Garden in Woodbury.
“I had a very big wake-up call and felt so inspired and motivated to do something that felt healthy and positive, here, where I live,” Harris-McGeehan said of the space located just off East Red Bank Avenue.
Growing up in Pennsylvania, her parents made a lasting impression, as they were very involved with community projects. The love for gardening also dates back to her childhood, as a family friend was a “gardener extraordinaire.”
“She grew a large variety of vegetables, and flowers in her beautiful garden,” Harris-McGeehan, who has experience teaching environmental education, recalled. “I was always in awe of what she knew and how she made such delicious meals with all of these vegetables. We would spend many an hour in that garden.”
The 12th season in 2016 included 44 adults and 22 children of varying ages involved with the Woodbury Community Garden. The group hosted its first garden work session earlier this year, with 26 adults, some Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts and high school students helping out, and in May, it held its inaugural Spring Fest, which is something Harris-McGeehan said she had wanted to do for quite some time, as it’s a way to bring people together. She described it as both a “FunRaiser and a FundRaiser.”
For Harris-McGeehan, the Woodbury Community Garden is a place that is a source of great joy.
“This project would not be what it is, if it wasn’t for those who stepped up to really help me to move this along,” she said, noting that Bill Schmidt has helped out significantly.
Of course, there is one more individual who has been there every step of the way.
“The person who has supported me through this entire journey, from its very beginnings … my vision, and the hopes to getting this idea ‘off the ground and running, and helping to keep it running, is my husband, Rich,” Harris-McGeehan said.
Gloucester County Living profiled Amélie Harris-McGeehan as part of its Women of Gloucester County 2016 series. For more information about the Woodbury Community Garden, e-mail woodburycommunitygarden@gmail.com or go to www.woodburycommunitygarden.com.
