Group home residents blossom by growing poinsettias
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A UMNS photo by John Gordon Thousands of poinsettia plants grown at the Baddour Center in Senatobia, Miss., are ready for delivery.
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Caring
for and selling thousands of poinsettia plants each year help residents
of the United Methodist-supported Baddour Center in Senatobia, Miss.
The center's motto is "Plants Grow People" because the responsibilities
associated with running a nursery help the special needs residents
develop life skills. A UMNS photo by John Gordon. Photo #05-834.
Accompanies UMNS story #681. 12/7/05 |
Dec. 7, 2005
By John Gordon*
SENATOBIA, Miss. (UMNS)
— Bright poinsettia plants, a favorite symbol of Christmas, are not all
that grow inside the greenhouses at the Baddour Center.
Residents of the group
home for mentally challenged adults find growth within themselves as
they carefully cultivate thousands of plants, which are sold to
churches, businesses and homes throughout Mississippi and Tennessee.
“Makes me feel real
good,” says David Holland, who has lived at the Baddour Center for 23
years. “I know that I’ve done a job and got the job done right.”
Indeed, the motto of
the Baddour Center’s horticulture program is, “Growing people with
plants.” The center raises and sells about 9,000 poinsettia plants every
Christmas.
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A UMNS photo by John Gordon Bill Watts, a resident of the Baddour Center, loads a truck with poinsettia plants.
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Bill
Watts, a resident of the Baddour Center, loads a truck with many of the
thousands of poinsettia plants grown at the center. Growing the plants
helps residents become more self-sufficient. The center, in Senatobia,
Miss., is supported by the United Methodist Church's Mississippi Annual
Conference. A UMNS photo by John Gordon. Photo #05-833. Accompanies UMNS
story #681. 12/7/05 |
Proceeds from the sale
of the plants help support the operation of the Baddour Center, a health
and welfare ministry of the United Methodist Church’s Mississippi
Annual (regional) Conference. But the horticulture operation is also
part of something with even deeper roots: plant therapy.
“They come here and
they work and they have a sense of accomplishment,” explains Wes
Pittman, director of the center’s horticulture program.
“They can see a plant
that’s mature and grown and they’re happy that they can do that, like we
all are happy whenever we accomplish a task,” he says.
Growing poinsettias can
be tricky — not a job for the amateur gardener. Seedling plants usually
arrive in late July or early August.
“I water them and fertilize them. It takes a lot of work,” says Baddour resident Bill Watts.
During October, the plants require total darkness. Even outside security lights are turned off.
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A UMNS photo by John Gordon A truck is loaded with poinsettias to be delivered to businesses and churches.
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During
the holiday season, trucks deliver thousands of poinsettia plants from
the Baddour Center to churches and businesses in Mississippi and
Tennessee. The United Methodist-supported center also operates a retail
gift shop in Senatobia, Miss. A UMNS photo by John Gordon. Photo
#05-832. Accompanies UMNS story #681. 12/7/05 |
Then they begin taking
on their distinctive red, white and pink colors. It takes four to
five months for the plants to reach maturity, and they are sold between
Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Shannon Kim, director
of education and research at the Baddour Center, can see a difference in
residents who grow plants. She is also conducting research
studies on the benefits.
“As you are involved
with something, you grow together with that thing,” she says. “So they
are growing plants, and they are also growing as a person.”
The Baddour Center
delivers poinsettias by the truckload to churches, garden centers and
businesses. They are also sold at Baddour’s retail garden center on the
grounds of the group home, which sits on a 120-acre campus. The center
houses 170 residents, with an average age of 43.
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A UMNS photo by John Gordon Viola
Graham and Gale Guynes, residents of the Baddour Center in Senatobia,
Miss., help cultivate thousands of poinsettia plants. |
Viola
Graham and Gale Guynes, residents of the Baddour Center in Senatobia,
Miss., help cultivate thousands of poinsettia plants. Working in the
center's nursery has helped these women with special needs develop
skills and self-confidence. The center is supported by the United
Methodist Church's Mississippi Annual Conference. A UMNS photo by John
Gordon. Photo #05-831. Accompanies UMNS story #681. 12/7/05 |
Viola Graham came to
the Baddour Center 25 years ago after having a difficult time in high
school. “They thought I was … stupid,” Graham says.
But now Graham waters,
fertilizes and sprays the poinsettias and checks them for insects.
Then she helps package them and fills orders during the holiday season.
“It makes me feel real happy to … be doing all of this here for a whole lot of people and a whole lot of churches,” she says.
Helping residents
develop their talents and abilities is an important mission, according
to Parke Pepper, administrator at the Baddour Center.
“Our folks often have
either talents or abilities that I would say surpass the talents and
abilities of many others,” Pepper says. “And we just have to help
find what that is, as with anyone, and help them recognize that and
develop it and take time to celebrate it.”
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A UMNS photo by John Gordon Wes Pittman is the director of the horticulture program at the Baddour Center. |
Wes
Pittman, director of the horticulture program at the Baddour Center,
arranges poinsettia plants at the center's retail garden center in
Senatobia, Miss. The center is supported by the United Methodist
Church's Mississippi Annual Conference. A UMNS photo by John Gordon.
Photo #05-830. Accompanies UMNS story #681. 12/7/05 |
Some commercial
nurseries automate watering and other parts of the cultivation
process. But Pittman, the head of the horticulture program, is
concerned automation could take away jobs from Baddour residents.
“It’s not always about the bottom line,” Pittman says. “Our goal is helping these people.”
And Baddour Center resident Gale Guynes knows the satisfaction of a job well done.
“It makes me happy,
knowing that I do the best I can to the best of my ability,” she
says. “I always hope that it makes them happy knowing that they
get them from up here at the garden center.”
*Gordon is a freelance producer and writer based in Marshall, Texas.
News media contact: Fran Coode Walsh, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5458 or newsdesk@umcom.org
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