Stakeholders and community leaders gather to cut the ribbon for the Zen Garden landscape project at Brentwood Recovery Home in Windsor, Ont. on Sept. 27, 2024. (John Fairley/St. Clair College)
Brentwood Recovery Home has been helping people overcome addiction for 60 years.
The collective efforts of staff and volunteers got a boost during anniversary celebrations Friday, thanks to a contribution from St. Clair College and its Alumni Association, who donated $100,000 toward the establishment of a therapeutic horticultural landscaping on Brentwood's Dougall Avenue property.
The new Zen Garden will be integrated into Brentwood programs and services as a way of augmenting addictions treatment and promoting healing.
Not only did the College provide the funds required to help complete the landscaping, students and faculty in the Landscape Horticulture Program were also instrumental in the design of the project.
Students in the program were challenged to create exciting landscape designs that incorporated form, function, and therapeutic elements to promote peace, tranquility and healing. The student concepts were reviewed by Brentwood staff, clients, and alumni, who incorporated the best elements from all designs into a final concept.
"A beautiful organization with a beautiful purpose needs a beautiful atmosphere, so the College's expertise in landscaping seemed to be a perfect gift to recognize Brentwood's 60 years of service to the community," said St. Clair President Michael Silvaggi. "The design ideas of our Landscape Horticulture faculty and students, coupled with the financial backing of our administration and Alumni Association, will, I hope, create grounds that will further enhance the recuperative and restorative environment of the recovery home."
Rona + also kicked in for the project, with customer donations through its Home Sweet Home campaign. Rona staff spent four days volunteering at Brentwood, constructing greenhouses and garden beds as part of the new Zen Garden.
"This tranquil space is dedicated to fostering spiritual reflection and mental well-being - a testament to our commitment to holistic healing," said Elizabeth Dulmage, the executive director at Brentwood Recovery Home.
Part of the project will also see the installation of a privacy berm along the edge of the property, to help block noise and create a more peaceful atmosphere for the garden on the front lawn of Brentwood.
Brentwood announced the new initiative with a large gathering, made up of St. Clair College's entire senior leadership team, community stakeholders, city councillors, and provincial members of parliament, to help celebrate the recovery home's 60 years of making a difference in the community.
"Brentwood has been helping find recovery for six decades. This was achieved in part through the generous support of our clients, staff, and alumni, both past and present," said Dulmage. "Brentwood could not have achieved 60 years of impact in the community without the support of our donors, community partners and all levels of government."
"Mental Health and Addictions Associate Minister Michael Tibollo's presence here today, and the presence of so many of our government and community partners is a testament to the spirit of collaboration and relationship building," she said. "We are filled with gratitude for the support we have received from St. Clair College and Rona + which has made this project possible."
The therapeutic landscape project will be completed by Lakeshore Landscaping and is expected to be ready to use by Summer, 2025.
An artist's rendering of designs by students at St. Clair College's Landscape Horticulture program for the new 'Zen Garden' at Brentwood Recovery Home. (John Fairley/St. Clair College)
