Noah Habib and his mother Heidi Cartan load up their vehicle at Common Roots Farm in Santa Cruz to deliver flower bouquets that Noah helped grow, harvest and assemble. Common Roots is a diversified farm with a social mission to provide farm-based opportunities for people living with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities to grow healthy food, beautiful flowers and build relationships that sustain everyone. Cartan founded the 4.
5-acre urban farm in 2016 where facilities are wheelchair accessible, and each disabled person has their own support person. Common Roots works with people who have autism, cerebral palsy and other health challenges. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel) Abby Ginty gathers a bouquet during a visit to Common Roots Farm.
(Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel) Sebastian Woodthrope chooses flowers for a bouquet with his teacher Beth Braithwaite at Common Roots Farm. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel) Ryan Linsdale harvests sunflowers at Common Roots Farm that will be used in bouquets. Founded in 2016, Common Roots is 4.
5-acre urban farm on Golf Club Drive in Santa Cruz that works with people who have autism, cerebral palsy and other health challenges. The farm's facilities are wheelchair accessible, and each disabled person has their own support person. Common Roots is a recipient of Palo Alto Medical Group’s Healthcare Endowment Community Fund's Blooms of Thanks grant to grow and donate over 400 ‘bouquets of thanks’ as gifts of appreciation to staff and caregivers whose job is to support people with disabilities in our community.
The farm's founder Heidi Cartan said, "In addition to being very well received by flower recipients, Blooms of Thanks provides skill building and purposeful activities to young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities that they feel very good about. Sustaining this program into the upcoming 2024 farm season means sustaining and expanding the impact people with disabilities have on those who support them each day to live in our community as independently as possible. It means purposeful work, positive social opportunities, and a calming environment to work with beautiful flowers each week.
Participants of all abilities learn a variety of new horticultural skills including sowing seeds and tending young plants. As the flower crops mature, learning shifts to floral skills that can be taught in groups where those with disabilities can also work together while building friendships with one another." (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel) Linda Hill makes a bouquet with her caregiver Veronica Leon.
(Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel) Noah Habib delivering bouquets grown at Common Roots Farm with his mother Heidi Cartan to Community Life in downtown Santa Cruz. Community Life is a local nonprofit that works to advance community support and opportunities for people with disabilities. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel) Noah Habib and his mother Heidi Cartan load up their vehicle at Common Roots Farm in Santa Cruz to deliver flower bouquets that Noah helped grow, harvest and assemble.
Common Roots is a diversified farm with a social mission to provide farm-based opportunities for people living with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities to grow healthy food, beautiful flowers and build relationships that sustain everyone. Cartan founded the 4.5-acre urban farm in 2016 where facilities are wheelchair accessible, and each disabled person has their own support person.
Common Roots works with people who have autism, cerebral palsy and other health challenges. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel) Founded in 2016, Common Roots is 4.5-acre urban farm on Golf Club Drive in Santa Cruz that works with people who have autism, cerebral palsy and other health challenges.
The farm’s facilities are wheelchair accessible, and each disabled person has their own support person. Common Roots is a recipient of Palo Alto Medical Group’s Healthcare Endowment Community Fund’s Blooms of Thanks grant to grow and donate over 400 ‘bouquets of thanks’ as gifts of appreciation to staff and caregivers whose job is to support people with disabilities in our community. The farm’s founder Heidi Cartan said, “In addition to being very well received by flower recipients, Blooms of Thanks provides skill building and purposeful activities to young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities that they feel very good about.
Sustaining this program into the upcoming 2024 farm season means sustaining and expanding the impact people with disabilities have on those who support them each day to live in our community as independently as possible. It means purposeful work, positive social opportunities, and a calming environment to work with beautiful flowers each week. Participants of all abilities learn a variety of new horticultural skills including sowing seeds and tending young plants.
As the flower crops mature, learning shifts to floral skills that can be taught in groups where those with disabilities can also work together while building friendships with one another.”.
