"M'AVW.gAW ,i*
oft,
ESTHER ALLWEISS TSCHIRHART
•
Special to the Jewish News
C arefully planting flowers
from trays of flats — golden
marigolds, red begonias, blue
ageratum and white impa-
tiens — Lessenger Elementary School
students added a little more beauty to
the garden their school has been given
forever.
It was a very big deal to the people
gathered in this south Oak Park neigh-
borhood when the Lew Price Garden
was dedicated May 21 at Lessenger
School Community Park. Children
danced to the Steel Drum Band and ate
hot dogs while trees, flowers and anoth-
er barbecue grill were added to their
special place on this third annual plant-
ing day.
Among those enjoying the afternoon
was school benefactor Lew Price of
Bloomfield Hills. Even before the gar-
den, his Lew Price Fund was making
life nicer for Lessenger students by
enabling Principal Roy Payok to pur-
chase out-of-budget items for them.
The diverse student body is largely
African American, Chaldean' and
Vietnamese.
"Whenever I come here, I see smiles
on these children's faces," Price said.
"Everything is possible here because of
the principal and teachers."
Another good friend to the school is
Harold Kulish, also of Bloomfield Hills.
He had the dream "for a
park where children could
come with their parents
and teachers to sit on the
benches and study all the
wonders of nature," said
Marion Freedman. She is a
Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit
staffer who formerly direct-
ed Federation's
Neighborhood Project, a
community-building
organization for Oak Park
and Southfield. Freedman
presented Kulish with a
plaque acknowledging his
vision and commitment.
The children sang him
"Happy Birthday."
When Kulish first
approached Freedman,
wanting to do something
to help what he saw as
the neglected part of Oak
Park, she used her con-
tacts with the Oak Park
Business and Education
Alliance to link him and
other caring community
volunteers to Lessenger
School, the Oak Park
School District and the
City of Oak Park.
Neighborhood Project
continues to coordinate
the partners' collaboration, said
Executive Director Amy Neistein. Now,
the city's departments of Public Works,
Recreation and Public Safety are imple-
menting the benefactors' five-year plan
to put in a butterfly garden, more flow-
ers and trees, and additional benches,
picnic tables and grills.
"It's good out here helping the little
kids with the gardening," said Dana
Richison, who lives across the street
from the park. He was one of several
Roosevelt Middle School "garden lead-
ers," including Salam Rida, Louay
Yousif and Cordero Culpepper, who
were chosen to plant trees and assist
youngsters at their former school.
Third-grade teacher Kathy
Blankenship likes to take her class
outside to the benches for creative
writing. The garden has given the
children a lot of pride, she said.
"The kids really take care of those
flowers. They make sure nobody
walks on them."
Students Diamond Degreaffenried
and Nga Pham welcomed everyone
prior to the planting. "We acknowl-
edge the generosity of so many peo-
ple for making this park possible,"
Diamond said.
"It's a great feeling seeing the kids
in their [Lessenger] T-shirts on this
festive day," said Kulish, the man
who planted the seed for a park. "I
just thank the good Lord I was able
to participate." ❑
5/31
2002
35