By John Tredrea, Special Writer
Tom Johnson’s vegetable garden needed some love and attention.
Coming through to provide it last week was a team of CCI Greenheart volunteers, who worked with members of a local chapter of the Knights of Columbus and associates from Forest Green, an area business, to help Mr. Johnson out.
In addition to participating in English classes and daily excursions, the CCI volunteers teamed up with the Knights and local companies in the community service project on July 16 when they transformed Mr. Johnson’s North Union Street garden in Lambertville,
"Mr. Johnson is a paraplegic, and his garden needed some tender loving care," said Coreen Crilley, the local coordinator for CCI’s nonprofit cultural exchange program.
Working in Mr. Johnson’s garden were eight high school students, who are visiting from Spain this month. In all, 14 high school students, ages 14 to 17, from northern Spain, are in this area until July 29 under the auspices of the CCI program.
Mr. Johnson said he was appreciative of the work, and he hoped the students understood him when he told them so.
"Forest Green and some other area businesses provided plants and mulch for Mr. Johnson’s garden," Ms. Crilley said Friday. "The youngsters did a great job, I’m so proud of them. They weeded, put down mulch. They’re still planting vegetables there. It’ll be back to being a really fine garden when they’re through"
In addition to the landscaping, members of the Knights of Columbus — affiliated with St. John the Evangelist Church — built a raised flower/vegetable bed from cedar wood so Mr. Johnson can reach and tend to it from his wheelchair. The Knights also are laying paver stones so he can reach the bed, which is planted with tomatoes, peppers and herbs, more easily.
Mr. Johnson, a former cook and restaurant worker, was injured in a motorcycle accident as a teen in 1972, he said.
During the busy July 16 afternoon, Mr. Johnson and a Jeep collided as he was coming off his steep driveway to enter the ramp on his modified van. Although his shins were severely injured, he posed for a photo with the students before being taken to the hospital.
The work done for Mr. Johnson goes to the heart of CCI’s mission, which is to pair cultural exchange with the practice of sustainability. Formed nearly 30 years ago, CCI has helped placed over 20,000 international exchange students with families seeking to host one of those students.
"We are a ’green’ organization that seeks to connect people and their planet by practicing sustainability," a CCI spokesperson said. "We actively encourage all our participants to volunteer and give back to their community in ways that promote sustainability."
CCI Greenheart, a nonprofit cultural exchange program, currently has international students from more than 60 countries available for host families.
Gene Robbins, managing editor, contributed to this account.
