Throughout the semester, we've been taught to seek out those who play a major role in the community. These people are usually church leaders, community activists, or just "unofficial mayors", and they always have a pulse on what's happening in the neighborhood.This week, we happened to come across a person who defines what it means to be "involved in the community". Christina Saxton, a former teacher at Julia de Burgos Middle School, only moved to Fairhill two years ago (from Lancaster) after her marriage. Yet she is involved with the local school, takes care if the school's garden, is involved with a local church, and volunteers at a soup kitchen on Kensington Ave.--and on top of it all, she has a newborn baby of her own.
Despite the fact that she is not currently working at the middle school because of the birth of her son, Saxton took the time to visit the school to talk to us about the garden project that she started. The project itself started because of Saxton's love for gardening, and she was the one who originally got fellow teacher Erin Kelly involved with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. According to Saxton, the idea came about because of the fact that her students are mostly Puerto Rican and Dominican, and many are used to rural areas. She thought the students would enjoy a garden, so she worked tirelessly to make it happen.
In a struggling neighborhood like Fairhill, it's great to see someone like Christina Saxton working to better the community.
Danielle Harvey & Becca Lane
Group 17: Fairhill
1 comment:
I work at a local neighborhood outreach center at 4th and Lehigh Ave, our after school program is held at Julia de Burgos. I am interested in connecting with Ms. Saxton to find out how our program might get involved in the garden project. Thanks! - Bethany 21.739.7465
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