U.S. Embassy Volunteers Commemorate September 11th at Battersea Park’s ‘American Ground’
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100 volunteers participated in a Day of Service to commemorate September 11th on 9 September 2011...See more
100 volunteers participated in a Day of Service to commemorate September
11th on 9 September 2011 in Battersea Park. The volunteers – from the U.S.
Embassy in London, the disability gardening charity Thrive, and Wandsworth
Council – are joining forces to restore the ‘American Ground,’ a 19th
century garden in need of upgrading and maintenance.
The annual Day of Service was inspired by President Obama’s ‘United We Serve’ initiative, a call to volunteers to perform acts of good will on September 11th. Such volunteer activities take place all across the U.S. on and around September 11 each year.
The project, planned in conjunction with Wandsworth Council and Thrive, is the latest event in the Embassy’s ongoing volunteering program to build bridges with our future community in Wandsworth. The project is close to the location of the new U.S. Embassy site in Nine Elms.
This is the Embassy’s second annual 9/11 Day of Service at the American Ground. Other Embassy-organized volunteering events have included the refurbishment at an East London community center to commemorate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and a garden cleanup project with Thrive to mark worldwide Consular Leadership Day.
Founded in 1978, Thrive is a charity that uses horticultural therapy gardening to help people with disabilities, in part through its Battersea Garden Project. Thrive won ‘Best Urban Garden’ in last year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Wandsworth Mayor Jane Cooper is lending her gardening skills to a tree planting during the day and the Council is supporting the event with the participation of its parks management and maintenance contractors, Fountains.
At the start of the event, U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission Barbara Stephenson said, “I don’t believe that victims’ families want us to just mourn – I believe that they want something better in memory of their loved ones. And, for me, there’s no better way to answer that call, to capture that spirit, than by helping restore this historic American Ground. …Those who attacked America sought to destroy. We are seeking to create and build – whether that’s a new garden here in the park, new friendships, or our new Embassy which will be just a short walk from here.”
Susan Stuart, garden manager at Thrive’s Battersea Garden Project, remarked, “Days like these are wonderful opportunities for disabled people who are often socially isolated. They truly enjoy the social interaction as well as the chance to perform fulfilling work alongside new people.”
Photos (to be credited to U.S. Embassy)
The annual Day of Service was inspired by President Obama’s ‘United We Serve’ initiative, a call to volunteers to perform acts of good will on September 11th. Such volunteer activities take place all across the U.S. on and around September 11 each year.
The project, planned in conjunction with Wandsworth Council and Thrive, is the latest event in the Embassy’s ongoing volunteering program to build bridges with our future community in Wandsworth. The project is close to the location of the new U.S. Embassy site in Nine Elms.
This is the Embassy’s second annual 9/11 Day of Service at the American Ground. Other Embassy-organized volunteering events have included the refurbishment at an East London community center to commemorate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and a garden cleanup project with Thrive to mark worldwide Consular Leadership Day.
Founded in 1978, Thrive is a charity that uses horticultural therapy gardening to help people with disabilities, in part through its Battersea Garden Project. Thrive won ‘Best Urban Garden’ in last year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Wandsworth Mayor Jane Cooper is lending her gardening skills to a tree planting during the day and the Council is supporting the event with the participation of its parks management and maintenance contractors, Fountains.
At the start of the event, U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission Barbara Stephenson said, “I don’t believe that victims’ families want us to just mourn – I believe that they want something better in memory of their loved ones. And, for me, there’s no better way to answer that call, to capture that spirit, than by helping restore this historic American Ground. …Those who attacked America sought to destroy. We are seeking to create and build – whether that’s a new garden here in the park, new friendships, or our new Embassy which will be just a short walk from here.”
Susan Stuart, garden manager at Thrive’s Battersea Garden Project, remarked, “Days like these are wonderful opportunities for disabled people who are often socially isolated. They truly enjoy the social interaction as well as the chance to perform fulfilling work alongside new people.”
Photos (to be credited to U.S. Embassy)
