What can a group of passionate volunteers accomplish in one day at the Langton Green Community Farm?  Amazing things!  On May 9, more than 100 volunteers from Keller Williams Realty’s Millersville office arrived at the sustainable 13-acre Farm for “RED Day” –an annual day of service in the community.

 

Volunteers build raised-bed gardens and a goat playground

RED stands for Renew, Energize, Donate. Volunteers painted the farm’s buildings bright white, installed new wire fencing, weeded and mulched beds and pathways, and helped build everything from a goat playground and a waterfall pond to raised beds for a sensory garden. Langton Green staff and individuals who work at the Farm through its vocational program pitched in alongside Keller Williams volunteers.

“We want to establish a formal sensory garden that is meaningful for many individuals, with hundreds of plants and flowers, including a pizza garden, herbs and native plants.” -John Iaquinta, Langton Green Community Farm

 

“Our six months of planning for RED Day really shows. There’s a real connection to the Farm among the RED Day volunteers and their support has been amazing,” says John Iaquinta, head of operations.

“We want to establish a formal sensory garden that is meaningful for many individuals, with hundreds of plants and flowers, including a pizza garden, herbs and native plants,” says Iaquinta. “Once it is completed, the new sensory garden will support Langton Green’s mission and serve the wider community as an educational demonstration site for school groups and other visitors to the Langton Green Community Farm, located in Millersville.

Volunteers embrace Langton Green’s mission

The Farm’s many resources, events and programs —including livestock for animal therapy, sustainable planting and harvesting of produce, vocational work program for individuals at Langton Green—support Langton Green’s mission to ensure that adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities can choose to live independent, full and healthy lives.

“I’m renewed, energized and ready to come back volunteer again at Langton Green in the future.” – Kathleen Scirpoli, Keller Williams agent

For Kathleen Scirpoli, a Keller Williams agent, RED Day was her first visit to the Langton Green Community Farm and she plans on returning to volunteer. “I’m renewed, energized and ready to come back volunteer again at Langton Green in the future,” she says. “This is my first RED Day, but I’m familiar with farms –two of my relatives have farms and my uncle has therapy animals—much like those at Langton Green.”

Langton Green Community Farm formally applied to be considered for Keller Williams’ RED Day last fall. Jessica Busch, RED Day coordinator and Keller Williams agent, says that she and her colleagues were impressed with Langton Green’s thorough application and need for assistance building a sensory garden and demonstration site. They offered support—not only by volunteering on RED Day –but by collaborating with Farm staff to plan the project well in advance and by securing donated materials and expertise.

“My colleagues and I felt that Langton Green Community Farm would be a meaningful way to spend RED Day. We wanted to take a break from real estate and show everyone that we are connected to the community,” says Busch. “Making a difference in the lives of others and bettering our communities is at the heart of Keller Williams’ culture.  We are delighted to offer our support to the Langton Green Community Farm.”