CGC: Education + Connection

By Yvonne Nabors, Greenspace Guardian, CGDT Graduate & CGC Volunteer

I spent the first half of my life in Colorado carrying out many youthful adventures, and I’ve always felt at home OUTSIDE. The next life chapter brought a move to Ohio, a house, two kids and a successful 35-year career INSIDE behind a desk. Gardening, hiking and playing outdoors were part-time hobbies. Last year I retired and transitioned to a new chapter, ready to embrace my tree-hugger roots and forge connections with like-minded people who want to impact the natural world in positive ways.

I was intrigued with the Civic Garden Center’s (CGC’s) mission of “building community through gardening, education and environmental stewardship” and thought it might be a good place to explore options for this new chapter of my life. I took the Civic Gardener Development Training (CGDT) class in 2024 and participated in a few volunteer events. I quickly learned that the CGC is true to their mission. They are in the business of building community and relationships and practicing what they teach. Whether you’re completing in-field study required for a class or working a volunteer event, the really exciting education and experience is OUTSIDE working with people to improve small spaces in the city.

In addition to the CGC, I volunteer at Valley View Nature Preserve in Milford. The 194-acre preserve encompasses riparian, wetland and upland forest ecosystems as well as a community garden and hops field. This year Valley View prioritized much-needed habitat restoration and targeted 55 acres for the first project. Valley View is maintained by a small group of dedicated volunteers with little experience in habitat restoration projects. We weren’t sure how to begin or what experts to engage or what resources to pursue. CGC and Greenspace Guardians to the rescue!

Knowing that CGC programs provided both education and connection, I enrolled in the inaugural Greenspace Guardians class of 2025. Classroom sessions gave me the tools to initiate restoration planning and draft the vision and priorities. In-field sessions gave me hands-on experience to understand the scale of work. Most importantly, the Greenspace Guardians class provided connections to local conservation professionals and organizations. Outside the class, we engaged people with experience in establishing a volunteer model/corps, native plant propagation, wetland restoration and large-scale invasive plant removal. All of this “learning” informed a Clean Ohio grant application, which was awarded in September!

On November 1, I officially crossed the one-year mark into that next life chapter. For me, the CGC has been a part of the journey—each class and volunteer event gratifying and full of opportunity to learn and connect.

Thanks to supporters like you, we’re able to keep costs for Greenspace Guardians and other programs low, to offer scholarships and even to run some for free. We believe everyone deserves access to the kinds of opportunities for hands-on learning and connection that Yvonne describes—and by donating to the CGC, you’re helping make that kind of access possible!