Deirdre Newman Bruce Royer has done his...
Deirdre Newman
Bruce Royer has done his part. Now he is just waiting for Mother
Nature and the wheels of educational bureaucracy to do theirs.
Royer created a garden at the YMCA in Newport Beach to give
something back to the community. Eight plots are fertile with
potential. One will yield strawberries. Another has been planted with
a variety of vegetables.
Royer envisions students from around Orange County coming to the
garden to plant seeds, harvest fruits and vegetables and learn about
the different stages of a plant’s life. Eventually, the students
could get experience with charity by donating the garden’s bounty to
food banks, Royer said.
But so far, no schools have taken advantage of Royer’s creation.
The garden on University Drive overlooking the Back Bay sits empty,
devoid of visitors, waiting patiently to showcase its lessons in
nature.
“It’s difficult to get the word out,” Royer lamented.
Royer, who admitted he had zero experience in gardening before
embarking on this project, wanted to do a community service project.
Standing in the side doorway of the YMCA two years ago and looking
out past the grassy field and the sand volleyball court, Royer said
he was inspired.
What was there was basically a jungle of weeds and mounds of dirt.
What Royer saw was a garden.
To make his vision a reality, Royer solicited donations from
businesses in the community and was successful in obtaining
necessities like loaders to clear and level the land, fencing to
protect the garden and seeds to plant.
He also got some help from an organization called Mens
International, which just happened to contact the YMCA for a service
project as his garden was materializing.
“They were a godsend,” Royer said of the 60 men who volunteered.
“They were angels. They put in the fence, cleared some of the
remaining brush, laid all the railroad ties and drilled holes.”
The garden was finally ready to go public a month ago. While it
was under construction, Royer diligently contacted schools throughout
Orange County. But so far, he has only gotten nibbles of interest as
he waits for the schools’ administrative processes to churn.
“All these great people have been involved with donating,” Royer
said. “I would like to see it being used.”
Only an Eagle Scout project has taken advantage of the garden,
building a potting shed in the far corner.
Although the YMCA hosts after-school programs in Santa Ana, Costa
Mesa and Tustin, getting those kids to the garden would only be
possible a few times a year because of the limited transportation
budget, said Stacy Sanchez, community programs director.
Despite the lack of visitors, Royer already has plans to expand
the garden -- grow blackberry, blueberry and raspberry plants and add
an overhang trellis.
Sanchez said she admires Royer’s tenacity in taking the garden
from a seedling of a thought to fruition.
“Bruce has been very driven in the whole process of starting [the
garden] and getting members involved,” Sanchez said. “Without him, it
wouldn’t have happened ....We’re fortunate to have members like him.”
For more information or to plan a field trip to the YMCA garden,
call Royer at (714) 968-3237.
* DEIRDRE NEWMAN covers education. She may be reached at (949)
574-4221 or by e-mail at deirdre.newman@latimes.com.
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