Two separate therapeutic garden settings have already been created at St. Michael’s Centre to provide a place of solace and enjoyment for the use of residents, patients and families of both extended care and hospice. After three years of planning, clearing, digging, building and planting, “The Living Garden” was dedicated on Sunday, May 15, 2005. The dream and vision of creating a garden for hospice and extended care patients at the Centre was conceived by Patricia Legge, then President of the Burnaby Hospice Society. Being an avid gardener herself, she knew the therapeutic effect of being surrounded by a garden full of beautiful plants and flowers and what a peaceful and tranquil setting can do to lift one’s spirit and heart.
A planning committee was struck to oversee the project. Allan Joyce, a Board Member of the Burnaby Hospice Society, whose wife, Jean, had passed away at St. Michael’s Centre Hospice, volunteered to be the project manager. Len Amiel, whose wife, Mary, had also passed away at the Hospice did all the woodwork: arch, pergola, trellises, and signage. Gerry Herkel, then the Executive Director of St. Michael’s Centre also was instrumental in much of the planning and coordinating of the sponsoring groups. The committee decided to take advantage of the existing uneven slope and designed a multilevel garden with a walking path that led to a sitting area overlooking the garden.
When the Rotary Club of Burnaby Metrotown made a very generous donation of $10,000 to the Burnaby Hospice Society, the Society committed some of these funds to the project. The St. Michael’s Centre Foundation then matched their gift and began fundraising for the additional money needed. With limited funds, it was necessary to do a lot of the work with volunteer support. The people who were involved at every step of the project are much too numerous to mention. Their contribution is permanently commemorated in a framed plaque displayed in the foyer of the Hospice.
The second therapeutic garden, often called the ‘English Garden’, involved an upgrade to the courtyard adjacent to the northwest side of Hospice. This area, overlooking the park, was further developed and the existing plants and greenery were augmented. Diane Wills, a retired nurse from St. Michael’s Centre, made an initial donation to this project. Len Amiel built the two planters and Allan Joyce, oversaw and did much of the work, but he was actively assisted by Sarah Gordon, a certified arborist with a horticulturalist diploma. Her father, Harold Gordon, had passed away in our Hospice in 2005 and as a living tribute to him, she and her mother, Dorothy Gordon and Family, donated many of the plants and flowers in his memory. Sarah helped to design the area and also gave her time and physical labour to this project. Subsequently Sarah Gordon became a Foundation Board Member.
These two gardens are now complete and are being enjoyed by patients, residents, their friends and loved ones, as well as staff and volunteers on a daily basis. The idea of creating an oasis for people seeking solitude and peace could not have been achieved without all the help and support of everyone involved.
But there is a third area, yet to be upgraded and enhanced. This is the “Chapel Court Yard Garden”. This area is bordered by the Chapel and the Fraserview and Parkview Lounges. The patio will be redone first to even it out and the existing plants and shrubbery will be further enhanced. Raised flowerbeds will be added to facilitate wheelchair resident gardening. Also, a pond and benches will be added. The Royal Bank of Canada has given a $10,000 grant towards this project but we are however, still in need of donations to complete the entire project.
We would appreciate receiving any amount you could offer. You may even ask that particular items be donated in the memory of a loved one or as a family gift to the garden. Also, your donations can continue to assist in the ongoing upkeep of the gardens. All donations should be made out to the “St. Michael’s Centre Foundation” and are income tax deductible. Please ensure that you write “Garden Project” on your check.
June 2006
Presentation of two paintings of the Living Garden at its May 15, 2005 Dedication.
From Left to right: Anne Toupin, Foundation Chair; Len Amiel, Carpentry Artisan; Allan Joyce, Project Engineer; Thea Juett, V.P. of Burnaby Hospice Society.
In background: Gerry Herkel, past Executive Director, St. Michael’s Centre
