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Spokane.net »
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 | Sunday, June 22, 2003 |
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Spokane She plants seeds for community's future Rob McDonald
Bree Reynolds heard the naysayers. She went ahead anyway. Reynolds took a weed-covered lot just south of East Sprague and created a community garden for children living by the freeway in the East Central neighborhood. "There hadn't been any formal youth urban gardening projects," said Reynolds, 28. "I had never gardened before. I was learning to do it alongside them." The kids came through her connection with Grace Lutheran Church. The 4-H backed the project. A load of topsoil was donated. Water came from the only house on the block. A man at a nearby church mowed down the weeds. Broken televisions, chairs and glass were hauled away. Reynolds, then a board member of Spokane Tilth, a sustainable agriculture group, recruited someone to till the soil. Not all kids in the area supported the idea -- some even got in the way. When the landowner became concerned about the safety of the young gardeners, temporarily d "A little 9-year-old boy walked up to a 12-year-old and said `Get out of my garden,"' Reynolds said. Eventually, broken bricks were donated to line the raised beds. Turnips and tomatoes, carrots and corn flourished. The only barrier against vandals was a sign showing the green four-leaf clover of 4-H and explaining that this was a children's garden, the Krista Garden. Not once did anyone harm the tender plants. "Those are the types of things that make such a difference in the world, someone who believes in those kids," said Jim Lindstrom, a project backer and a Washington State University Cooperative Extension agent. "That wouldn't have happened if she hadn't had empathy for those kids and the garden." Reynolds has since left, and the original garden is now a parking lot for a tavern on Sprague. But the garden program relocated and is still going -- as is Reynolds' community service career. "It was a good foot in the door for Bree. She did well in building relationships," Lindstrom said. Reynolds, an Olympia native, now works for Spokane Public Schools, organizing enrichment activities for students as a Hubs coordinator at Glover Middle School. She's responsible for a number of projects, including an after-school study and activities program for 60 kids. Reynolds has been involved in a string of community service work since she and her husband, Doug, arrived in Spokane six years ago. She's a Murdoch Mentor through Whitworth College. When she lived in Browne's Addition, she became vice chairwoman of the neighborhood council. She volunteers with Crosswalk, Peace and Justice Action League, Meals on Wheels, 4-H and the Spokane County Domestic Violence Consortium. "A lot of it is my upbringing," Reynolds said. Her dad served as an officer for the Thurston County Democratic Party. "My parents were really kind of adamant about us caring about the community." Supervisors, past and present, say Reynolds can be a challenge to keep up with, in her stride, ideas, energy and work. She possesses a rare combination of traits: She can connect with an awkward 13-year-old, and she can put together a successful grant package, said Fred Schrumph, her supervisor at Spokane Public Schools. "She always has another proposal, and that's good," Schrumph said. "I try to keep up with her." As the school year wrapped up, Reynolds worked toward getting the school's first outdoor basketball court built. She gathered community donations and recruited help from students at Spokane Community College and a contractor willing to excavate the land. "It looks like it's going to happen," Reynolds said. At Glover Middle School one recent day, Reynolds delivered snacks to students staying late to finish homework. She walked fast even while pushing the food cart. Children who wanted a carton of milk and granola bar first had to answer Reynolds' question: "If you could accomplish anything, what would it be?" Coltish students surrounded her as she made a half-dozen stops delivering snacks around the school. Reynolds greeted each by name, surprising some students. "She knows me by heart," one boy said, as he walked away. "She knows me too," added another. "I love their energy, their quirkiness," Reynolds said later. She's a self-professed, off-the-chart extrovert. "I remember how traumatic middle school was. So I have this deep empathy for kids going through that age." Reynolds moved to the West Central neighborhood about a year ago, a block from Boone. "We like the idea of living in a low-income neighborhood. We're both really passionate about civic justice," Reynolds said. "I like living where my kids (at Glover) live. I'll be out doing my yardwork and I'll hear, `Hi, Mrs. Reynolds."' She's taking night classes at Gonzaga University to obtain a teaching degree. But she may have found her niche as a Hubs coordinator. "It's the first time where I feel like I totally belong somewhere," she said. "My dad says I'm an idealist. I have hope for the future, children, and education is a huge part of that. Public education is the foundation of a true democracy." •Rob McDonald can be reached at (509) 459-5533 or robm@spokesman.com.
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