Serving the Valley: United Way volunteerism event is special for many

Jul. 23—For Kumi McGuire, United Way of the Wabash Valley's annual Serve the Valley event on Friday wasn't just an opportunity to help spread mulch around fruit trees in Indiana State University's community garden — one of a number of efforts throughout the area that more than 300 volunteers participated in.

"It is very personal for me," said McGuire. Her husband Jim, who grew vegetables in one of the community garden's plots, died unexpectedly on New Year's Day at age 50.

"I signed up here just to honor Jim, because this is what he has done for many, many years. He was a master gardener, I was not. I hated to give up the plot, so with much help I decided to keep it going."

She was joined by a number of volunteers from Union Health, where Jim worked as a nurse and a process improvement specialist. Marc Keilman, Union Health pharmacist, organized his co-workers' participation at the garden and held a brief memorial, placing a plaque before an apple tree that had been planted in Jim's memory.

"Jim was just an incredible individual," said Keilman, who is also Union Health's director of quality, infection control, credentialing and risk management.

"He gave hours and hours and hours of his own time to the community," Keilman said. "He would grow vegetables here and then he would donate them to food deserts and those in need. When Jim passed away, we decided we wanted to memorialize him and decided that there wasn't any better way than to give of our own time in Jim's honor."

"I had a pleasant surprise seeing the people from Union showing up with the plaque," Kumi said. "I didn't know it was going to be today. I saw Marc and he had this beautiful plaque. We hadn't talked to each other since the funeral, so it was nice."

Other activities volunteers lent their time to included beautifying West Vigo High School's exterior, maintaining the Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce's planter boxes downtown and applying playground stencils at Ouabache Elementary School.

In addition to the Union Health volunteers, others helping mulch the community garden had their own plots there.

Fan Zuo, a gardener in the community garden, said, "It's very special for me because it's my first time to serve the community for a couple of hours. This garden is just not for ISU people. I'm very happy to see a lot of people work together. I see a lot of power there."

Jessica Leggette, an Edward Jones financial advisor who recently moved here from Arizona, said, "I have a bed in the community garden, so I decided this would be the best place to give back because I'm part of the garden. I believe in the community it provides."

Leggette was mulching with a co-worker. "We're having fun getting in the dirt," she said as Foghat's "Slow Ride" played on a nearby boombox.

Leggette attended Arizona State's sustainability school, the first of its kind in the country. She noted that a number of the volunteers at the garden were from ISU's Bluestem Internship Program, which seeks to connect horticulture and urban agriculture with sustainability, cultural diversity and social justice.

"A program like this helps you engage in community activities," said Bluestem's Nana Frempong.

Olivia Humphrey added, "We've learned a lot about gardening. A lot us came in with no gardening experience whatsoever, so some of us had done little more than touch dirt. Some of us had never even grown a weed. It's been a crazy experience, seeing how things grow. It's crazy how your mindset can change when you're in this environment, and whenever you're around things that are constantly growing, and just how healing that can be."

Humphrey noted that they had grown and donated 700 pounds of vegetables so far this summer.

"We're harvesting a whole bunch of green beans and cucumbers, peppers and we work in the food forest, (in) which we donate to United Campus Ministries, St. Benedict, a whole bunch of charities in town," Kaitlynn Voorhees added.

"Working together honestly is the biggest part — everyone out here helping support a great guy who loved to garden and to share his love and interest with us is great to have," she said, referencing both Serve the Valley and Jim McGuire.

Union's Keilman said honoring McGuire was not the only thing that brought his volunteers out on Friday.

"Every year, Union Health participates in Serve the Valley day," he said. "It's a great opportunity for us to come together and be able to contribute and give back to the community we serve day in and day out."

David Kronke can be reached at 812-231-4232 or at david.kronke@tribstar.com.