GARDENS
The New Frontier in Farming
too, stating, “In just a year, it’s been
astounding to witness how Vertical
Harvest has impacted our commu-
nity and inspired others. The pairing
of world-first innovation with an
underserved population is what is
important, that people with different
abilities deserve not just employment,
but meaningful employment. Our
public tours allow members of the
Jackson community and visitors to see
our model working firsthand. Learn-
ing about sustainable agriculture and
hydroponic farming from an adult
with different abilities challenges
some pre-conceived notions of what
this population is capable of.”
Nona is referring to Vertical Harvest’s
“Innovative Employment” model.
The farm provides meaningful
employment and a fully-integrated
workplace for local Wyoming resi-
dents with different abilities. The
program identifies the strengths,
conditions and interests of a job
candidate to discover the unique
talents of people with intellectual
and physical disabilities.
Caroline Croft Estay, Director of
Human Resources, says, “My vision
is that integrated employment
becomes a natural part of a business
structure throughout our country.
I believe employment in the disability
world is the next Civil Rights move-
ment. Since there are more people
diagnosed each year with varying
degrees of disabilities, we need to
look at the holistic picture. Meaning-
ful and competitive employment is
the future.”
Sprout Academy is an education and
community engagement program
launched this summer that focuses
on kids. The living classroom tells
the story of food, from farm to plate,
and how plants are integral to lead-
ing a healthy lifestyle. The hands-on
curriculum encourages independent
thinking as students learn about
hydroponic farming, nutrition, plant
biology and the connection between
food and community.
Education Coordinator Joelle Lazzare-
schi says, “We are so thrilled with the
success of the Sprout Academy pilot
program. It allowed us to see that
interest in these types of programs is
strong throughout the Jackson com-
munity, and we hope to be able to
fund an expansion of our education
programs going forward.”
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