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   The definition of community can be simply stated as a group of people that have something in common. The Longville Lions were recently recognized for their community building project with one of the highest honors a Lions Club can achieve. In a ceremony held at the Longville Community Garden on May 11, regional Lions leaders presented Longville Lions the Kindness Matters Service Award for their work at the Longville Community Garden.

   The Kindness Matters Service Award is an international award given annually to a handful of Lions and Leo clubs for performing an outstanding service project in one of the Lions global cause areas.

Pictured (L-R): Global Service Team Lead Multiple District 5M Jamie Huttunen, District 5M9 Governor Linda Albrecht and Longville Lions president Matt Krueger. Photo submitted.

   The journey of the Longville Community Garden started in 2020 when Simon Whitehead, former Cass County SHIP Coordinator, introduced and spearheaded the idea of Longville’s own community garden. Quickly, Lions secretary Paul Harwig, Carol Johnson and Dave Owen took a leading role in the planning, grant applications and construction of the garden. They toured local community gardens, took notes and started writing up a plan. Initially, the plan ran into pushback. There have been attempts to build up a community garden in the past, what would be different about this attempt?

   The answer is community support.

Lions Secretary Paul Harwig showing off the Donor Tree, which recognizes those who have given to the garden project. Photo submitted.

   Local engineer Dave Owen took the idea of  a state-of-the-art watering system to use rainwater to evenly and effectively redirect roof water to all of the plots. This design is significantly ahead of the curve and Cass County officials have been on site to inspect the engineering and learn from the system.  

   Each great project requires great leaders, and Paul, Carol Dave and the Lions have filled that role. The Lions have helped with every step of the project from the beginning; from insurance, to lease of land, grant writing, fiduciary duties and roughly 1,200 volunteer hours. Harwig remarked that it is really special that a club of our size has earned such a prestigious award. Of the eight fellow international award winners, the Longville Lions had the highest number of volunteer hours per volunteer. 

    After four years of hard work, the garden offers 22 plots, 31 different sized raised beds, an automated irrigation system, a rainwater collection system, a nature trail with educational signs along the walk, a dog park furnished with play equipment designed and built by Northland High School’s shop students, an apple orchard, beehives, a hops garden, countless furnishings and an area for community to flourish.

 

   “The whole thing has become more than we could have ever imagined,” Johnson said. Harwig added “It’s great to see people walk the trail, sit at the dog park and enjoy the space. It’s a great addition to an area that is prone to food insecurity and low access to affordable, healthy food options. It affords local residents with a space to unwind and enjoy the outdoors.”

   This entire project would not have been possible if the community didn’t come together the way that it did. Some contributed by donating raw materials, some by their labor and others with their knowledge. Wabedo Township donated the leased land that the garden is built on. Northland High School’s shop class was able to practically apply their knowledge to build dog park obstacles. Local artist Tom Kutschied took time to paint the shed with beautiful flowers and repaint the Longville mural formerly hung on the west wall of the Docksider. A children’s garden was created by the son of one of the Lions families, Carter Magnus, for his Eagle Scout project, which ultimately earned him the rank. 29 people and businesses are recognized on the “donor tree”, an evergreen “tree” that supports oak wood cookie ornaments for each partner. This community effort is what the Kindness Matters Service Award represents.

   A lotus flower is known to signify purity and resilience because a beautiful flower can grow in the murky water of a swamp. I believe that this line of thinking can be applied to the Longville Community Garden. When community was at its weakest during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the idea of the garden bloomed. Through time, commitment and a little love, it has grown into an internationally recognized project to better the local community. It is wonderful what humans can do with a little bit of love, kindness, service and a project in common.

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