Tuesday, May 26, 2009

A group of students at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, along with staff from the university's Landscaping Services, will begin work Wednesday morning on a new memorial garden for the campus. Funding for the garden plants was provided through a $600 grant from the Cape Fear Garden Club, which the students applied for and received on behalf of the university.

The garden will focus on sustainable landscaping and showcase native plants.

Media are welcome to attend and cover the garden planting at 8 a.m. Wednesday, May 27 between the Fisher University Union and the Computer Information Systems (CIS) building on the UNC Wilmington campus.

Rising UNCW senior Greg Files became interested in this project after discussing with friends that it would be attractive to have more vegetation around the small, brick UNCW wall located beside the CIS building, which was a senior class gift.

"The building somewhat overshadows the UNCW senior gift wall," he said. "I wanted a way to bring more attention to it."

Files' mother, Saundra Files, a Cape Fear Garden Club member, and chairperson for the 2010 Azalea Festival Garden Tour, suggested a memorial garden and encourage Greg and his friends to apply for the garden club grant.

"The Cape Fear Garden Club has been around for 80 years now and has donated more than $1 million in grants to the Wilmington community," Saundra Files said. "I think the memorial garden is a great indigenous project. It was really neat to see the students come together to make this happen."

After receiving the grant, Greg Files and friends Chelsey Young, Amanda Austin and Robert Dobbins began planning for their envisioned garden, working with Landscaping Services to develop a sustainable landscaping plan that would require less water and maintenance in the future.

Karen Tobiassen, with Landscaping Services, helped create a landscape design that best fit the project, with native North Carolina flowers, grass, shrubs and trees and a focus on gold, white and blue to reflect nature's version of the UNCW colors.

The memorial garden illustrates the success of UNCW students, staff and community members working together to create something that everyone can enjoy.

"The memorial garden will be a peaceful place where students, faculty, staff and individuals in the community who have lost loved ones can reflect," said Greg Files, "and it will add beauty to our campus."

Media contacts:
Stephanie Celenza, media relations intern, 704.996.1774 or smc7892@uncw.edu

Dana Fischetti, media relations manager, 910.962.7259 or fischettid@uncw.edu