City of Rochester
News Release
Note to editors: Excellent photo opportunity
(Wednesday, May 19, 2010) – The Flower City Kids program, a partnership between the City of Rochester, Frontier Pioneers and several other key collaborators (see below) celebrates its 24th year on Friday, June 4 with 3,500 pre-K and elementary school city youth converging at Ontario Beach Park’s Flower City Kids Garden to plant flowers and vegetables they carefully cultivated in their public and private school classrooms this spring.
Some students chose to participate in Flower City Kids by planting their seedlings on their school grounds, others in their neighborhood or in their own yards.
Since it began, students have cultivated nearly 200,000 plants in the Flower City Kids program. “The remarkable level of participation in Flower City Kids over two decades would not be possible without the commitment of thousands of teachers to help new generations bring seeds to life each spring and beautify the community,” says Michael Warren Thomas, the City horticulturalist. “Participating students and their teachers also learn a good deal about horticulture, environmental science and the importance of plants to people and the planet.”
As part of the Flower City Kids Planting and Picnic Day at Ontario Beach Park, the youth will enjoy a picnic lunch and a free ride on the historic Dentzel Carousel.
“Frontier Pioneers” are retired Frontier Corporation employees who generously help with Flower City Kids each year. The current Frontier Pioneer Coordinator, Susan McDougall, can be contacted for information at 244-0245 or by e-mail at smacdougall@rochester.rr.com. Other key Flower City Kids partners include: Wegmans, myriad public and private school districts and faculties, Rochester Landscape Technicians and Rochester AmeriCorps.
-30-
News Media: For more information please contact Michael Warren Thomas, City Horticulturalist at 703-9237.