Flower Garden Movement Enters its Second Year

As was the beginning of a movement to "spread flower gardens through human connections", Kadonowaki junior high school students hoped to "brighten their grizzled Kadonowaki district in Ishinomaki city with flowers" during their integrated study named "Our initiative to reconstruct Ishinomaki" last October.
JEN decided to back the students' hope and since then, has continued assisting them along with local people who want to achieve reconstruction for themselves and many volunteers who want to be of help to reconstruction. 
This movement is aimed at letting those involved in planting flowers feel very close and link each other. For more on this, click here.

On November 6th, flowers were planted by first-year pupils who took over a flower garden from their seniors by one year.

【First off, they dig the garden!】


Preparing for the coming winter, they started with a preliminary work to plant new flowers that bloom in spring. With girls screaming at worms appearing in the earth and boys competing on the speed of shoveling, they spiritedly, cheerfully got on with the work.

【The outline of the flower garden.】



As shown above, year-one members of the school art club outlined the flower garden. It contains a message that being one in heart---connected four hearts---makes people happy---It's said that each leaf of four-heart-shaped-leaf clover represents fame, wealth, love and health.

【They worked in front of Kadonowaki primary school.】



They also worked on the flower garden in front of Kadonowaki primary school. Salvias planted in this spring were still blooming vibrantly.

【The work is over!】



They spent the whole day in planting about 700 roots of viola and 1,500 bulbs of tulips. They also planted tulip bulbs in planters so that they might be able to present them later to Kadonowaki primary school which is now giving classes at classrooms their school offered. Some of the bulbs were donated by people in the area who came to know about the movement. The movement is now creating new community-school relationships.

Kadonowaki district where the movement is now being staged has been designated as one the "Areas for Promoting Reconstruction of Affected Urban Zone", so redeveloping the area and building an elevated causeway that doubles as a breakwater will start in full swing next year. A park as a symbol of earthquake disaster reconstruction is scheduled to be built within the redeveloped area. JEN will continue to help local residents actively engage in developing their community.

◆JEN continues recruiting volunteers to assist earthquake disaster reconstruction. The planned volunteer activities for September-December period have been renewed. For details, click here.
If you consider joining volunteer work in a group, please contact us.

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