2010-07-08

Hope Blooms

Part of Garden Bloggers Buffa10, Buffalo, NY, July 2010

Hope Blooms, The Victorian, 200 South Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, New York
The Victorian, 200 South Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, NY

Like Cary Street, The Victorian, at 200 South Elmwood Avenue, is also located just around the corner from the Buffa10 hotel. It's one of the headquarters for Garden Walk Buffalo. It's also one of the homes of AIDS Community Services of Western New York. Hidden behind the building is Hope Blooms, "a garden by, and for, people living with HIV/AIDS."
A complete volunteer effort, “Hope Blooms” was built as a unique garden “by and for” those living with HIV/AIDS. Having been featured in a full page photo in the Garden Walk Buffalo Book, it is recognized as one of Buffalo’s significantly beautiful gardens. Christopher Voltz, ACS’ Director of Marketing and Special projects volunteers his weekends, all summer long, to build and maintain this garden.

Clients and patients help plant the garden and its flowers are used to supply fresh bouquets of flowers to client services areas in our offices every week.

This simple gesture is greatly appreciated by ACS’ clients and patients. It is ACS’ belief that a warm and welcoming environment for its clients is of great importance. Whether one is living with cancer, diabetes or HIV disease, everyone deserves to be treated with the utmost respect. These bouquets and this garden are simple ways to demonstrate this to the thousands of individuals and families we serve.

Slideshow


Related Content

Flickr set

Links

Hope Blooms, AIDS Community Services of Western New York
Garden Walk Buffalo
Garden Bloggers Buffa10

5 comments:

peacesojourner said...

Welcome to Buffalo - I live just around the corner from this garden - I hope to meet you while you are in town. As usual, beautiful photos by you - thank you!

Anonymous said...

Great montage, Xris.

Noel Morata said...

aloha,

love the garden and the beautiful sign, hope blooms, thanks for sharing

Christopher Voltz said...

Thanks so much for visiting Hope Blooms. It is a garden with a story...many stories.

It's a labor of love and it is wonderful when people visit it and appreciate it.

Christopher

Chris Kreussling (Flatbush Gardener) said...

peace: Thank you. A pleasure meeting you. Glad we have a chance to touch base, at least for a little while.

l&g: Thanks! It's a beautiful space.

noel: Thank you. The story of the garden is also beautiful.

Christopher: Thanks for sharing this garden with us. Sorry we didn't get a chance to meet.

I lost count decades ago of the number of people I've lost to AIDS. When I learned of this garden, I had to visit.