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| From left, landscapers Charles Nobbs, Robbie Dickey, Richard Hosmer, Dennis Bottomley and Steven Rodgers show off their handiwork at one of The Resource Center’s homes on Foote Avenue in Jamestown. |
Autumn marked the end of another successful TRC landscaping season. Several members of the crew, including vocational and non-vocational individuals with disabilities, and support staff opened the season back in April and spent the next six months sprucing up several TRC facilities. One of the last stops on this year’s tour was the Intermediate Care Facility on Foote Avenue in Jamestown, where the crew welcomed the fall season.
“We put up cornstalks and pumpkins and planted mums because it’s fall,” said crew member Dennis Bottomley. “We put down mulch, too, and spread it around.”
Charles Nobbs also took part in the planting. “We like it to look presentable. We want the residents to enjoy looking at it, all the beautiful work we did,” said Charles.
The Foote ICF isn’t the only place the crew did beautiful work. Throughout the course of the season, work was done in numerous South County sites, including the Orchard, Benedict, Hunt, Busti, Randall, Celoron B, Harris, Forest, Chandler, Rio, Whitehill, Cole, Norby, and Pleasantview homes, as well as the Staff Training Center, the Administrative Offices and the Michael J Raymond Center. North County sites included Lake Shore Drive, the Mary Andrews Center and the Birchwood, Water, Eagle, and Westfield homes.
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| Dennis Bottomley, left, and Steven Rodgers take a break from doing some fall landscaping at one of The Resource Center’s homes on Foote Avenue in Jamestown. |
“I think it builds self-esteem,” said Tracey Mingle, Direct Support Professional. “It’s nice to watch the individuals grow, become more confident and make friends. They help each other, they talk to each other.”
“They have to work as a team,” said Jane Young, Site Supervisor for Rehabilitation Services, “and we’ve been received with open arms at every site.”
Prior to any of the work being done at the homes, the crew members walk around with the Residence Manager to get a sense of what he or she would like planted in conjunction with what the site can afford from its budget. Then, with the help of those like Matt and Julie Harper at Four Seasons Nursery on Route 60, who help deliver the materials, the crew then goes to work.
“I like the digging and shoveling. I like shoveling the mulch,” said crew member Robbie Dickey.
“I enjoy the weeding,” said new crew member Steven Rodgers. “I want to do it again next year.”
The group at Celoron B even gave the crew members a certificate for all their hard work this year.
“We just want to thank everyone for all their help," Tracey said.