OneQuest Health, a leader in integrated physical and mental well-being, announced it has received an $11,000 grant from The Patricia Kisker Foundation, Fifth Third Bank, N.A., Trustee. The funding will be used to expand the organization’s therapy gardens, a horticultural therapy initiative serving youth in psychiatric residential treatment.
The grant will enable upgrades, including the purchase of two new greenhouses and two storage sheds, with one of each installed at the Burlington and Devou Park garden locations.
Created by Activities Coordinator Rachel Spiegel, the therapy gardens at each residential campus offer a quiet sanctuary where clients can experience safety, grounding, and a sense of responsibility. Each garden features raised beds, archways for vertical growth, and peaceful spaces designed for reflection and gentle garden meditations.
“Our clients are with us during an important chapter in their healing,” said Spiegel. “Caring for something living can be incredibly meaningful. In the garden, we talk about how we can gently prune away what no longer serves us, just like tending to a flower, so that the strongest, truest parts of ourselves have room to grow.”
The program blends therapeutic support with hands-on environmental stewardship, giving clients meaningful ways to connect with the world around them and with themselves.
• Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary: The gardens function as registered pollinator sites, nurturing milkweed and other native plants that help protect and strengthen monarch populations.
• Farm-to-Table Education: In partnership with local chefs, clients harvest vegetables they’ve grown like cucumbers, herbs, and other seasonal produce to prepare simple, nourishing meals that celebrate their work in the garden.
• Mindfulness and Creative Expression: Activities such as yoga, wildlife journaling, and making personalized papier‑mâché watering cans help clients build confidence, practice grounding skills, and take ownership of their healing process.
This project was made possible in part through a grant from The Patricia Kisker Foundation, Fifth Third Bank, N.A., Trustee.
Other instrumental volunteers in the therapy garden include master gardeners Laurel Meadows and Jessica Searcy.
To learn more about the therapy garden or other mental and behavioral health services, visit onequesthealth.org for more information.
OneQuest Health