2015
Thank You Volunteers You made this possible!
From
GREEN APPLE DAY OF SERVICE To
Butterfly Garden
EARTH DAY 2015
09.27.2014 To 04/18/2015 Volunteers: 127 Place: Markham Park- Weston Florida
Project Leader:
Maria M Hernandez Jennifer Udan Organizations:
Today is Earth Day 2015!, the perfect day to share with you the Journey that started on September 27th 2014, Green Apple Day of Service. Fourteen extraordinary volunteers stepped up to answer the call of this important day to impact our community with the mission of creating a beautiful Butterfly garden. That Journey that starter with fourteen ended with one hundred twenty seven amazing volunteers that helped finish the project. Thank you all for your participation, commitment and love for the planet, all your effort made this Butterfly Garden possible! I hope this will serve as an inspiration to others to act and engage in making a positive impact in our local communities. You are the change we want to see in the world!
www.handsonbroward.org http://mygreenapple.org/
Maria M Hernandez Project Leader
OUR PROJECT: CREATING A BUTTERFLY GARDEN
To engage and cultivate the principle of Sustainability, there is not a better place to start than in our community and school gardens. Involving our kids in hands-on exploration of the natural world is essential to create a generation who are able to carry out the important mission of re- establishing a resilient life in our planet.
WHY IS IMPORTANT? Butterflies provide a numerous benefits to the environment; unfortunately, their populations had declined and are under threat, due mostly to destruction of habitat and the use of toxic chemicals. For this reason, we need to create gardens and provide all the necessary conditions to help butterfly populations to bounce back maintaining a balance in our ecosystem.
Pollination: As the butterflies travel from one flower to another, they pollinate the plants, resulting in further development of plant species. Numerous plants rely on pollinators, such as butterflies, for reproduction.
Conservation of water: Butterflies' preference for native plants can be considered a great environmental benefit, since landscaping with native plants require less water to be maintained.
Encouraging Habitats and Wildlife: Butterflies are extremely susceptible to pesticides and insecticides. By not requiring the use of harmful chemical applications, native habitats not only provide a safe haven for butterflies, but also for other creatures as well.
Promote Environmental Awareness: The beautiful natural and colorful setting draws human interest, which can result in a greater awareness of the environment and a better understanding of our role in preserving natural habitats.
Day of Service
Just, the beginning
09/27/2014
photo ŠAlbert Mollinea
01/10/2015
02/28/2015
03/14/2015
04/04/2015
04/18/2015
Thank
Outstanding Volunteers
You Made it possible! 381
Volunteers Hours
400 Bags of Mulch
869 Plants
Butterfly-Friendly Plants Your butterfly garden must provide nectar-rich flowers for adult butterflies and suitable plants to host their larvae. Select plants to provide blooms throughout the year PLANTS SELECTED FOR THIS PROJECT:
Bee balm
Milweed
Porterweed
Yellow Top
Gaillardia
Blood Berry
Red Salvia
Tampa Verbena
Corky Stem Passion
The Butterflies
Planting
Monarch
Julia
Swallowtail
Zebra
Queen
Gulf Fritillary
Buckeye
The Butterfly Garden Enjoy, relax and learn!
10 Reasons to Volunteer:
1. Volunteering provides physical and mental rewards. It:  Reduces stress  Makes you healthier 2. Volunteering provides valuable community services so more money can be spent on local improvements.  The estimated value of a volunteer's time is $15.39 per hour. 3. Volunteers gain professional experience. 4. It brings people together. 5. It promotes personal growth and self-esteem. 6. Volunteering strengthens your community. 7. You learn a lot. 8. You get a chance to give back. 9. Volunteering encourages civic responsibility. 10. You make a difference:
Every person counts! www.handsonbroward.org
MY CONTRIBUTION:
As a project Leader, I had enjoy every single moment that I had shared with people from my community and surrounding areas, kids, teenagers and adults . Some of them volunteer from their heart and others for community hours, but we all have found a common motivation:
The Environment. For this reason, as an environment activist, I have created this magazine to explain the importance that is behind our volunteer project. I want to go beyond of just leading a group; I want to explain how our actions contribute to the protection of our natural resources and as consequence: our communities, our planet! One day those teenagers that today are looking for community hours; they will be the future Homeowners that with their decisions will impact the world! On this specific project, we learned about the importance of volunteering to make a difference in our community, country and Planet. We also learned the benefits of creating a butterfly garden to protect the Environment. Thank you to all the volunteers for their outstanding job! I can’t wait to see you next time as we continue to help the environment. Special thanks to Broward County Parks and Markham Park Staff for the opportunity to be part of this fantastic project. Also, thank you to HandsOn Broward for allowing me to be the project leader during the whole journey of this project which allowed me the ability to witness the power and love of our Volunteers. Maria M Hernandez
www.HandsOnBroward.org
This magazine has been produced by: María Mercedes Hernández LEED AP