Thank you

Holding hands as we cross the final street and the community garden comes into view, I feel little fingers begin to squirm, eager to break free. They were just here yesterday, yet they can hardly wait to run to their garden beds. Every day, something has changed. Every day, they arrive bursting with joy and wonder at what has grown. First, they look at their own bed, then they look at the whole garden.

“A NEW FLOWER!”
“MY WATERMELON IS GROWING!”
“A CUCUMBER!!”

Each child has a space that feels like home. And together, they are a neighborhood. It is both theirs and ours. A tiny living community.

They’re learning how to work together. How to nurture something alive. How something can be theirs, and ours, and no one’s, all at once. But most importantly, they’re learning about joy.

At Greenwood Grove and Riverside Forest School, our mission is to help children build a strong foundation rooted in joy — joy in community, in food, in play, and in nature. The world needs more joy. More self-acceptance. More belonging. And these, we believe, are some of the essential building blocks of a happy life.

We guide children through big emotions, peer conflicts, and moments of frustration with kindness, confidence, and connection.

How?

We start with belonging. We nurture radical self-acceptance. We foster social-emotional growth. And we do it all while surrounded by the gifts of nature.

So today, I want to say thank you.

To those who helped make our Children’s Community Garden a reality: thank you.

To everyone who came to the Spokane Garden Expo and bought our plant starts: thank you for choosing purpose over perfection. Our starts may not have been the biggest or the cheapest, but your purchases helped bring this project to life.

To the parents who showed up on Community Build Day: thank you. You worked hard in the heat and sun to create something lasting for your children and for all of us. What you built is worth so much more than the wood and soil. You’ve given your children a place they cherish — more than words can express.

And to all who want to be part of what we’re growing at Riverside Forest School: thank you. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to build something special with you.

With love,
Cameo