Honoring the Fisher Park Community Alliance for their award winning performance in Pennsylvania Horticultural Society competitions.

WHEREAS, The Fisher Park Community Alliance is an organization of committed and concerned neighbors residing in the Olney section of Philadelphia who maintain and support Fisher Park; and

WHEREAS, Three years ago, the Fisher Park Community Alliance created a mid-sized vegetable and flower community garden affectionately known as “Roots Garden” in Fisher Park, which has improved the aesthetics of the surrounding community; and

WHEREAS, From its inception, the “Roots Garden” has been successful in the Philadelphia Horticultural Society’s Garden Contest, winning first prize the first two years and second prize this year; and

WHEREAS, The gardeners who care for “Roots Garden” were invited to participate in this year’s Philadelphia Flower Show in the garden competition class where the theme was “America the Beautiful” and the category was “Community Pride,” and the gardeners’ exhibit won second prize for the depiction of a party scene at a community garden that was based on the real “Roots Garden” in Olney; and

WHEREAS, The Fisher Park Community Alliance continues to maintain the “Roots Garden” at Marshall and Spencer Streets where there are approximately six 4’ by 8’ plots being gardened by individuals, families, and Grover Washington Middle School students and, through the garden, the community provides an important cultural component to community service in their neighborhood; and

WHEREAS, The Olney residents participating in the “Roots Garden” have enjoyed learning to garden and sharing their new gardening techniques with each other and their families, and the residents have received the added benefit of getting to know each other through the garden, a valuable and pleasant unifier of the community; now therefore be it

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That we hereby honor and commend the Fisher Park Community Alliance for their award winning performance in Pennsylvania Horticultural Society competitions and for developing the “Roots Garden” as a positive vehicle for neighbors to socialize while enhancing the aesthetics of their community.

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