Community Club plans Canton Serenity Garden

The Community Club of Canton has been dedicated to community service, providing scholarships for local students, outreach, and hospitality throughout the town since the organization began. The club’s latest project is to create the Canton Serenity Garden at Pequitside Farm and to support the Canton Alliance Against Substance Abuse (CAASA) at the same time.

Community Club and CAASA member Harriet Burak at the future site of the Serenity Garden

Community Club member Harriet Burak serves on the Community Club’s subcommittee working on the Canton Serenity garden; the group began planning the garden in May of 2018. The design includes trees, benches, and 100 bricks that will be inscribed with names and messages. The garden will be located around the flagpole at Pequitside.

The subcommittee’s original thought was that the garden would be in memory of Canton residents who were victims of addiction or for those going through addiction recovery. However, they also want people to see the garden as a place to recall happy memories or to find a quiet moment or to just relax.

“We want this to be a happy place,” Burak said. “This should be a place to remember a birthday or anniversary. A place of serenity. We wanted it to be an area that’s visible but has privacy. It’s going to be a lifelong patio good for generations to come.”

The Canton Serenity Garden is very close to Burak’s heart. Her son, Michael, struggled with drug addiction and died of a heroin overdose in 2004. She recalled that before he passed away, Michael thanked his mother for never giving up on him. Burak has not given up on others who suffer from addition the way Michael did.

“We don’t have that child physically with us,” she explained. “If I can keep him here and he, through me, can help people who are fighting addiction, it gives me a reason to be.”

After the garden has been completed, any leftover funds will be donated to CAASA to be used for programs in the schools and throughout the town. Burak said that CAASA has used funds to help pay for a program on the dangers of vaping that was attended by both parents and teens last year, for a middle school drop-in program on Fridays offered through the Recreation Department, and for a specialist to analyze the results of the town’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Burak would love to see more programs and speakers brought to town to educate residents about addiction. CAASA is also looking into the possibility of creating an online drop-in center for those who are seeking help with recovery, but may not be able to get into a recovery center.

“We all know that our country has a serious problem with opioids,” she said. “Canton is not exempt from that. Our biggest goal is prevention.”

The cost of individual bricks for the Canton Serenity Garden with up to two lines of writing is $100. Double bricks with up to five lines of writing are $250. Trees with up to four lines of writing are $1,000, and benches with up to four lines of writing are $2,500. To date, over 50 bricks have been purchased as well as three benches and one tree.

The Community Club of Canton was founded in 1912. Members hold food drives to benefit the Canton Food Pantry, collect gift cards and personal items, and make candy favors at the holidays for students at the Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children and for residents of nursing homes. They donate cat food and other supplies to the Richard Stein Animal Shelter and hold clothing collections to provide business attire for women who are re-entering the work force. Jill Hayes is the current president of the Community Club.

CAASA was founded in 2013 with the mission of reducing the demand for and the abuse of drugs and alcohol in Canton. CAASA has a special focus on middle and high school aged students. Members of CAASA represent the Canton Public Schools, Police and Fire departments, Board of Health, Board of Selectmen, Parks and Recreation Department, and the broader community. CAASA has also collaborated with the public library on the creation of a book corner featuring books about addiction, which are displayed in the library’s main lobby. Canton Police Chief Ken Berkowitz is the current chair of CAASA.

For more information, visit cantonalliance.org or the Community Club of Canton page on Facebook.

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Posted by Mary Ann Price on Sep 13 2019. Filed under News. Both comments and pings are currently closed.