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 TERI
has dedicated a portion of its 20-acre San Marcos campus to the
establishment of an Agricultural Program that will serve as both
an outdoor classroom for our children and a vocational training
site for our adults. Having living, growing things to care
for makes a tremendous difference in the life quality of our students,
and the experiential education they receive is as valuable as what
they can learn in a traditional classroom setting. The Agricultural
Program has several components:
- Raised
bed gardens, which are wheelchair accessible, are used to propagate
a variety of flowers, vegetables, and herbs which are later either
transplanted, dried for use in craft projects, or packaged for
personal use or sale in our shop, Potpourri at the Coast, in Oceanside.
Organic gardening and composting are fundamental components of
this program. Students participate in all facets of planting and
growing, and therapeutic goals are met through this tactile medium.
- The
Pumpkin Patch is used to grow future Jack-o-Lanterns for sale
and distribution to our group homes. On the off season, melons
are grown and harvested just in time for the annual July 4th Parade
and Picnic - a favorite for everyone.
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TERI, Inc. has acquired several contracts with growers and private
individuals to raise and care for a variety of decorative grasses
and trees. As part of their vocational training, our adults learn
to care for these plants and acquire valuable work skills such
as independent job completion; time management; appropriate on-the-job
behavior; and customer relations.
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Twenty acres of land require a great deal of care and maintenance.
While our students are not solely responsible for maintaining
the campus, they share in many of the routine landscaping duties
around the property to include watering, weed abatement, lawn
care, and maintenance of footpaths and trails. This vocational
training activity is perfect for our students who thrive when
working outdoors in nature, and also provides practical skills
that promote independence at home.
Most
of the plants and growing materials used in the Agricultural Program
have been donated to us by our friends and neighbors in the community.
If you love to garden and have some time to offer, or have
a business that might benefit from making a tax-deductible contribution,
please contact Teresa Martin at teresam@teriinc.org
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