Listen to the interview here: www.kaxe.org/sustainability/2021-03-10/bridget-westrum-cultivating-a-love-of-gardening-with-growing-our-future People talk all the time about how we aren't going to have a future... I sort of want a future... a good one!... and I want everyone else to, too! So, I might as well start somewhere and just get some stuff done...and everyone should be able to garden. - Bridget Westrum, 16
She had never grown anything before, but when the Covid-19 isolation blues hit last spring, Bridget Westrum decided to try a garden. Her venture quickly grew into a passion. Today, she’s spreading her love of growing food with other kids in the Bemidji area. Her Growing Our Future initiative offers free gardening starter kits to anyone under 18. Kits include seeds, seed trays, spray bottles, and more. In addition to the kits, she’s organized a gardening hotline for kids to connect with older gardeners when they have questions, and she’s establishing a gardening arsenal young growers can access for various gardening needs. Her initiative sprouted when she learned of a grant opportunity with the Minnesota Youth Council. Learn about Bridget and her mission to create a brighter future with her Growing Our Future project in this segment! Have kids in your life that would like a gardening kit? Connect with Bridget on her Growing our Future Facebook page!
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Lakeland Public TV: Betsy Melin — Mar. 3 2021 One Bemidji student decided to start a program that gives out free gardening kits to anyone under 18 to start them on their journey of gardening. The program is called “Growing our Future.” 16-year-old homeschooled student Bridget Westrum was new to gardening. COVID-19 gave her the extra time needed to start growing her own produce and plants, which led to her getting involved in plant forums online and allowed her to start giving back. Westrum is also a member of the Minnesota Youth Council, so when she found out about a grant to create a program, she immediately thought of her new hobby. So far, she has 90 youth signed up for the kits and has the materials to make over 130 kits. She’s not doing this all alone, as she has had the help of community donations as well as family, including 13-year-old sister Logan. The sisters hope to teach other people their age about the importance of sustainability. The kits are designed not only to have everything you need to get started, including a seed starter tray, 8-12 different kinds of seeds, and spray bottles, but it will also include a guide to teach young people to learn more about how to help something grow. Those interested in donating materials can contact Growing our Future at [email protected]. Those interesting in donating money to the project can via GoFundMeor by mailing a check to P.O. Box 753, Bemidji, MN, 56619. More information on the project can be found on the Growing Our Future Facebook page. |
Bridget WestrumBridget Westrum is a Senior from Bemidji, MN. She is the founder of “Growing Our Future,” as well as the content creator. Archives
November 2022
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