MEMORIAL GARDEN

If you have ever visited MCEAP you will have met Margie Vitale! She is the heart of MCEAP.

She had always wanted to use the space behind the MCEAP-Pappas food pantry for something. It is so quiet, peaceful, and shady, but unused until now. After the death of both her sons, Curt and Richie, she had a passion to make that space a memorial garden for herself and others. Many of the MCEAP volunteers and friends started a fund to support the idea. That was the beginning, but this story is not just about Margie.

Many years ago there were three men, Barry, Bob and Neil, who worked together at the same nursery. Each had a specialty, so they collaborated to create and construct fabulous gardens, ponds, water features and outdoor spaces for others. One by one they left the company and worked on their own, until now.

Barry was volunteering for MCEAP, doing repair jobs for our seniors when Margie mentioned the garden to him. He revealed to her then, that in another life, he worked for a nursery. The next thing Margie knew he drew a version of what she had imagined the garden to look like. The rest is history. He contacted his old friends, Bob and Neil to volunteer with him. They have been working together again for months on this project as if no time passed since the last time they had seen each other. The art of giving of oneself shines through each of them. They have created a place of peace, tranquility, meditation and reflection for everyone to enjoy.

The story doesn’t stop there. Gary, the electrician, donated all of the material and ran the electric to reach the outdoor space. Mike, the plumber, supplied all the materials and plumbed a water line to reach the water feature in the garden, each and everyone, a volunteer. MCEAP has been a 100% volunteer run non-profit for over 51 years. This project is the epitome of those years. The unselfish acts of caring, giving of time and talents and sharing a vision with everyone who sits in quiet reflection.

To be a part of this Memorial Garden consider sponsoring an engraved brick for $50 Examples of bricks are to the left.

~Remember a loved one ~Honor a friend ~Set your name in stone for years to come~

to   request and pay for your brick, with up to three lines of no more than 18 characters per line.