Ribbon-cutting held for Tiki Hut Outdoor Learning Center at Freida B. Smith Special Populations Center
The Freida B. Smith Special Populations Center unveiled a brand new educational outdoor venue that gives participants a hands-on experience with nature and cultivation.
Last Friday, the ribbon was cut on the Tiki Hut Outdoor Learning Center that gives members of Special Pops the opportunity to become engrained in local horticulture and even marketing.
Special Populations Executive Director Melenia Park said members of Special Populations came up with the idea for an outdoor garden where they could learn how to grow fruits, vegetables and even use what they’ve cultivated in their culinary workshops. The new learning center area includes 10 raised and handicap-accessible garden beds, built-in lighting, fans and benches. Advocate group Guardian Angels for Special Populations reached out to Southern Cross Tiki’s, which designed and built the tiki to be used year-round.
The large and impressive center is already quite the hit.
“They’ve been using the tiki every single day,” Park said. “They’ve been sitting out there having classes, and even though it’s warm outside, it’s actually pretty cool inside the tiki.”
The Tiki Hut will also play host to workshops detailing the process of gardening and marketing, customer service and cash handling.
Participants helping in the garden will learn about horticulture, including the names of native plants, what fruits and vegetables flourish in Florida, growing seasons and maintaining a continual harvest throughout the year.
Work groups will also learn about the nutrition connection to wellness through food preparation lessons.
“Our hope is that we could have enough produce to join in on a farmer’s market or sell locally,” Park said. “Something where our participants can learn that they start something from a seed, watch it grow and take care of it, gather everything that they’ve made and either sell or use it for our cooking class.”
The project was made possible thanks to a donation from Dr. Carol Rae Culliton and the Gunterberg Charitable Foundation to the Guardian Angels for Special Populations.
“It was a no brainer for me,” Culliton said. “Special Pops are just so…special. They really are. Whenever I stop by, I leave happy. They’re a joyful group.
“There space is limited, so to be able to have an outdoor educational center where they can be outside and comfortable and happy, it’s just a very lovely place and I jumped at the idea to provide this for them. It exceeds any expectations I had.”
The Freida B. Smith Special Populations Center in Cape Coral offers a variety of programs for adults and children with intellectual disabilities. The mission for Special Populations is “to promote independence through exposure, education, experience and encouragement in a safe, caring environment.”
Programs include life skills development and adult day training in addition to after school, evening and special events providing an array of activities and options.
For more information on Special Pops, visit www.capecoral.net and visit the Parks and Recreation Page for the Freida B Smith Center, located at 410 Santa Barbara Blvd., or call 239-574-0574.
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