A Common Thread
Volunteering allows landscape architects to "give something back" to their communities.
By Karen Stoelzle Midden, ASLA

The sanctuary landscape at Rosie's Place, a shelter for homeless women and their children in Roxbury, Massachusetts; a heavily used playground at Dixieanne's Tot Lot in a low-income neighborhood in Sacramento, California; the youth "Cultiva" program, which grows produce for the homeless, seniors, and the food bank in Boulder, Colorado; and a Healing Garden for parents who have lost their babies in Milwaukee—all have something in common: Landscape architects were part of volunteer teams that made them happen.

What drives landscape architects to stay up late after a day's work to design a pro bono landscape project, or to sit long hours at a city council meeting seeking the approval of a project, knowing they will spend Saturdays and free time organizing other volunteers and installing a landscape for no financial compensation?

…To read the entire article, subscribe to LAM!

What's New | LAND | Annual Meeting
Product Profiles & Directory
ASLA Online