Making the world a better place

Avery is 2 ½ years old. Like most young children, he loves to play outdoors – climb on jungle gyms, play games, and have picnics with his family while they enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. Sadly, like many of the children currently residing at the YWCA Sojourner’s Shelter for Homeless Women and Families, Avery has never had a yard to call his own - until now. Thanks to the West Virginia Nursery & Landscape Association (WVNLA), children like Avery now have their very own backyard – a newly-created green space and recreation area at the YWCA Sojourner’s Shelter on Charleston’s East End.

In January, the 100-member statewide association voted to donate an “extreme makeover” landscaping project to a deserving group, in lieu of its annual summer meeting. In just 10 short weeks (ground was broken on June 2), WVNLA and its partners transformed the YWCA Sojourner’s property from a barren lot with a portable basketball hoop, minimal playground equipment, a large unusable pile of dirt and concrete, and dumpsters that were quite the eyesore, to a landscaping and architectural masterpiece.

The shelter now boasts a welcoming entrance with seating areas; a center courtyard with a planting area; an outdoor dining plaza located off the cafeteria with access through new doors; a game court complete with a basketball hoop, hopscotch and foursquare; a playground for younger children; a gathering space for parents to socialize while watching their children play; and greenery to screen the walls and dumpster areas.

WVNLA chose the YWCA Sojourner’s Shelter over several other charitable projects because of the significant impact a newly-renovated space would have on the children who reside in the shelter. YWCA Sojourner’s is home to an average of 65 individuals at any given time – approximately 25 of which are children. All funding, design, materials, and labor for the project were donated by WVNLA – estimated at approximately $100,000. The completed project includes every aspect of the original plan, as well as additional features such as two new awnings and security gates and fences to help ensure residents’ safety.

The YWCA and all the residents at YWCA Sojourner's are truly inspired by WVNLA's generosity and dedication and are grateful beyond words for this gift. We hope that WVNLA's project inspires other organizations to follow their example and give back to the communities in which they live - to enhance and improve the lives of others and, simply, to make the world a better place.