Oct. 11 fundraiser to benefit the Chelsea Senior Center’s Trinh Pifer Intergenerational Garden

From Mary Jo Frank

The Chelsea Area Garden Club (CAGC) is inviting the public to participate in a Culver’s Share Night Fundraiser between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. Oct. 11.

The Trinh Pifer Intergenerational Garden will receive a percentage of Culver’s sales from that evening. The restaurant is located at 1610 South Main Street, Chelsea. Garden club members will greet customers, clean tables and run orders. All proceeds will go to the intergenerational garden.

CAGC co-Vice President Cathy Gillem says, “Our members have strongly supported the intergenerational garden since it was established in 2012 under Trinh’s leadership. We appreciate this fundraising opportunity.”

The late Trinh Pifer was executive director of the Chelsea Senior Center and active in the CAGC. The intergenerational garden reflects two of her passions: gardening and working with older adults.

“Children ages 4 to 13 and senior citizens work together in the garden,” Gillem says. “Each year they grow hundreds of pounds of produce, which is shared with seniors, Meals on Wheels in Chelsea and Manchester, and is used in cooking classes for children and seniors.”

CAGC President Merrill Crockett notes the intergenerational garden fits in well with the garden club’s four-fold mission: to stimulate the love of gardening, encourage and assist in community beautification, promote environmentally responsible horticultural practices, and encourage conservation.

Founded in 1997 with 12 charter members, the CAGC has more than 60 members, primarily from Chelsea and western Washtenaw and Livingston counties. CAGC members plant and maintain planters near the Chelsea District Library entrance, and design and plant beds and planters along Chelsea’s Main Street. It also awards grants for horticulture-related community projects and scholarships to Chelsea High School seniors.

The CAGC, a member of the Chelsea Area Chamber of Commerce, meets at noon the second Monday of the month, September through May at Chelsea First United Methodist Church. For more information, visit chelseagardenclub.com or check out the club’s Facebook page.

Photo: Chelsea Students helped decorate the fencing around the Intergenerational Garden. Photo by Mary Jo Frank.