“Places like this nourish our souls,” says Pastor Kyle Johnson
LANSING, Ill. (June 30, 2023) – “The last couple of years were very hard on LARC,” said Ernie Gonzalez earlier this year. “We lost five clients, one board member, and several of our greatest supporters, all while dealing with the complex circumstances surrounding COVID.” With help from the Lansing Garden Club, LARC was able to transform that loss into a life-giving space, the LARC Memorial Garden. Planted last summer, the garden has seen growth and change in its first year — as is the nature of living things — and it will continue to flourish under the ongoing care of the community.
LARC is a nonprofit organization that provides services and opportunities to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. For many years LARC clients have enhanced the broader community through work and volunteer programs — picking up trash along Ridge Road, providing janitorial services at local businesses, and joining the crowds at Fox Pointe concerts. The LARC Memorial Garden is a way for clients, staff, and board members to honor their own, but it is also a quiet park-like setting for anyone to sit and reflect.
Approximately 50 community members gathered on Wednesday, June 28, to dedicate the LARC Memorial Garden. The ceremony was forced indoors by a wildfire-induced Air Quality Alert, but participants had opportunity to enjoy the garden before and after the 20-minute dedication.
LARC is located at 19043 Wentworth Avenue in Lansing, Illinois. And the LARC Memorial Garden is located on the west side of the building, between doors #12 and #13. The garden is easily accessible from the LARC parking lot, and it is ADA-accessible.
More information about LARC is available online or by phone:
- Website: larclansing.com
- Phone: (708) 474-1540
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