PRINCETON, W.Va. – Gardening is more than just planting seeds—it’s about growth, healing, and resilience.
Thanks to a grant from the “Try This WV Program”, Child Protect of Mercer County is launching its “Roots of Resilience” project, creating a space where children can connect with nature while working through trauma.
Forensic interviewer and family advocate Erica Merrill says the garden will serve multiple purposes, from providing healthy snacks to offering a therapeutic escape.
She says, “I think that using gardening beds in conjunction with therapy, there’s a lot of personal connections that individuals can make with the garden, such as gardens, require lots of care and patience as well as attention, just like ourselves, and you have to nurture gardens just as we have to nurture ourselves to see progress in our lives and in our healing process.”
Although this garden can be used in conjunction with therapy, these skills can also be utilized to create another safe space for hope and healing.
These skills, as well as the garden, can be something sustainable for children and families to provide them with positive coping skills.
Merrill says, “The connections that can be made in the garden through therapy can give kids those positive coping skills for their futures and give them ways to create more safe spaces outside of just here at the CAC. They can take these skills and create a garden at home and use those elsewhere.”
As the garden grows, so will its impact. Merrill hopes to install a blessing box on-site, offering fresh fruits and vegetables to the community.
For more information on the ‘Roots of Resilience’ project or to volunteer or donate gardening supplies, contact Erica Merrill at Child Protect of Mercer County at 304-425-2710 or visit their office at 120 Shaker Lane in Princeton, WV
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