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Lisa Ely instructing students at the Charles Helmers Elementary Garden

Valencia Elementary School Garden Continues To Flourish With $8,000 Grant

The vision of volunteers and staff alike to create a Garden Program at Charles Helmers Elementary came even closer to being fully realized with a grant from the Henry Mayo Newhall Foundation.


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The school had previously received a $10,000 grant from Seeds of Change, as well as support from the staff at the Santa Clarita Valley Lowe’s.

Charles Helmers Elementary Garden

Charles Helmers Elementary Garden

After the swell of community support only, one part of the program remained unfunded, the curriculum itself.

“It feels so nice to have the pressure of money off the table,” said Natalie Freed, who chaired the project for Charles Helmers Elementary. “Now we can just do cool stuff.”

Related Story: Charles Helmers Elementary Helps Students Grow With School Garden

The new grant from Henry Mayo Newhall Foundation is going specifically to help fund the program’s curriculum, such as supplies necessary to teach the kids.

“The $8,000 goes directly to the fees for the curriculum, buying the actual course material,” said Lisa Ely, the garden program instructor. “Parents were going to actually help supplement (the cost) but now with (the grant) it’s great, it gives us a headstart for next year.”

Currently, the program consists of primary kindergarten through second-grade students attending a short, 30-minute class once every two weeks, but Ely and the staff at Charles Helmers hope to continue to expand the program and its reach.

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Valencia Elementary School Garden Continues To Flourish With $8,000 Grant

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About Cody Como

Cody Como has been a member of the KHTS Staff since March 2016. After beginning as a web intern he was promoted to a Staff Writer in the fall of 2016. As a member of the KHTS News Team he has covered local events ranging from Six Flags Ride Openings and School STEAM Fairs to Brush Fires and Floods. A Graduate of West Ranch High School in Stevenson Ranch, Cody is a near lifelong resident of the Santa Clarita Valley. As a member of the production team Cody works to help bring some of the great KHTS On Air Programming to residents.