Much like the gardens it funds, the nonprofit group Unity Gardens has grown from a tiny offshoot of another group to a robust organization supporting greening projects across Anne Arundel County.
Unity Gardens has blossomed enough that the group’s director of six years, Kim Eckert, is moving on. Her successor is Barbara Dowling, who has been a board member for several years.
“It became almost synonymous with me. ‘Oh, you’re the Unity Gardens Lady,’” Eckert said.
Unity Gardens first sprouted in 2001 as a project of the Severn River Association and became its own entity in 2003.
Unity Gardens offers modest grants — up to $1,000 — for community greening projects in Anne Arundel.
They range from bog gardens to sensory gardens to playground flowers. Most have an environmental benefit or an educational aspect.
Over the years, that’s added up to more than $150,000 to more than 160 schools, community associations and Scout troops.
“I think it’s a tremendous asset to Anne Arundel,” Eckert said.
Eckert got involved with Unity Gardens through the Master Gardener program. A garden designer herself, she joined the board of directors and became executive director in 2006.
Eckert’s goals were to make the grant application process more robust and to diversify fundraising efforts.
Unity Gardens started with a significant grant from the Annapolis-based TKF Foundation. But it needed to find a broader pool of donors to stand on its own.
Today, Unity Gardens budget is about $50,000, with almost all of the money going to grants and a small portion paying for the part-time executive director.
About $20,000 comes from the county government’s reforestation fund, and the rest is raised through an annual gardening seminar, grants and donations. Companies often donate services or products, too.
“We are truly grassroots,” Eckert said.
Over the years, Eckert has marveled at the broad reach of the modest projects.
Each grant cycle, she’s mentored a handful of grant recipients, many of them applying for grants for the very first time.
Not only do gardens bloom, but leaders bloom, too, Eckert said.
It often starts with one person with a small idea, and they bring in others. After securing one grant through Unity Gardens, they become inspired to seek larger grants from other organizations for even bigger projects.
“To me, it’s about leadership,” Eckert said.
While Eckert has poured her heart into Unity Gardens — she works 30 to 40 hours per week, even though she’s supposed to be part-time — she’s ready to move on.
“I feel very confident in the direction we’re going,” she said.
Eckert, a 15-year resident of the county, plans to ramp up her involvement in Master Gardeners and to relaunch her private landscape design business.
She’s also mentoring Dowling, who is excited to take over the reins at Unity Gardens. The two women live in the same Annapolis neighborhood and have been working together during the transition.
Dowling’s goals include boosting Unity Gardens’ online presence. She wants to make the grant application process online instead of on paper.
And as a former Montessori teacher, she wants to increase the educational element of Unity Gardens-funded projects.
“It’s a whole new beginning for me,” she said.
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