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Phoenix Community Garden in Brooklyn Marks 10th Community Garden Renovation

Phoenix Community Garden in Brooklyn Marks 10th Community Garden Renovation Partnership for Project EverGreen and NYC Parks GreenThumb

Project EverGreen and NYC Parks GreenThumb will celebrate a significant milestone on Thursday, September 10, when volunteers and green industry partners come together to renovate Phoenix Community Garden in Brooklyn – the organizations’ 10th community garden renovation project together in New York City.

Located in the Ocean Hill-Brownsville neighborhood, Phoenix Community Garden is a half-acre green oasis created from a formerly vacant lot. The garden provides residents with fresh food, green space and a welcoming place to gather, learn and connect with their neighbors.

Phoenix Community Garden in Brooklyn - Project EverGreen

Project EverGreen volunteers and NYC Parks GreenThumb partners transform Phoenix Community Garden in Brooklyn, marking their 10th community garden renovation together.

The transformation continues Project EverGreen’s GreenCare for Communities mission of bringing together volunteers, donors and community partners to create healthier, greener and cooler communities.

“Reaching our 10th renovation project with NYC Parks GreenThumb demonstrates the power of partnership and the lasting impact healthy green spaces can have on communities,” said Cindy Code, executive director of Project EverGreen. “Together, we’re helping Phoenix Community Garden remain a valuable source of fresh food, environmental benefits and community connection for years to come.”

Cultivating Community in Brooklyn

Phoenix Community Garden demonstrates what can happen when residents take ownership of an urban green space. Gardeners transformed what was once a vacant lot into a productive community resource that is open to everyone.

The garden produces nearly 2,000 pounds of beans, corn, collards, bitter melon, tomatoes, zucchini, herbs and callaloo, providing fresh, culturally relevant food for neighborhood residents.

The renovation will focus on improvements designed to make the garden healthier, safer, more accessible and productive. Planned work includes:

  • Improving pathways to provide safer and easier access for visitors of all abilities.
  • Removing overgrown brush and trimming trees where needed to improve access, safety and overall plant health.
  • Adding new plantings to provide seasonal color, support pollinators and strengthen the garden’s long-term sustainability.
  • Enhancing planting beds to increase opportunities for growing fresh food and creating healthier, more productive soil.

“Our community gardens are oases of green within our city, giving New Yorkers a space to connect with the earth and with each other. This transformation of Phoenix Community Garden is a great example of the work we do across the five boroughs to make sure community gardens have the tools and support they need to thrive,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Tricia Shimamura. “We’re grateful to our partners at Project EverGreen for sharing our commitment to cultivating these vital community spaces, and we’re proud to celebrate our tenth garden renovated together.”

A Decade Plus of Growing Together

The Phoenix Community Garden project extends a partnership that has improved community gardens throughout New York City.

Last year’s GreenCare for Communities project transformed Corona Peach Tree Community Garden in Queens with ADA-friendly pathways, 15 new raised planting beds and approximately 100 pollinator-friendly plants.

The Phoenix Community Garden project builds on that legacy while addressing the specific needs and goals of its gardeners and surrounding neighborhood.

Healthy community green spaces can deliver benefits far beyond their boundaries. Trees, plants and healthy soils help capture pollutants, cool urban neighborhoods, absorb stormwater and support pollinators. Community gardens also provide opportunities for physical activity, access to fresh food, environmental education and stronger connections among neighbors.

Since 2008, Project EverGreen and its partners have renovated community parks and public green spaces representing more than 200 million square feet of living green space nationwide. Through GreenCare for Communities, professional volunteers connect people, plants and communities to maximize the environmental, health and social benefits of well-maintained green spaces.

Partner donors and in-kind supporters for the Phoenix Community Garden project include NYC Parks GreenThumb, Artisan Gardens, Greengage Urbanscape, Landscape SEO, LIMAR Landscape Management, Mike Darling Construction, Outdoor Digs and Plant Detectives.

Continuing to Restore Community Green Spaces

The Tyler Adams Soccer Pitch follows another GreenCare for Communities renovation completed in June at the Yawkey Boys & Girls Club of Roxbury in Boston, where Project EverGreen, Scotts and industry partners restored a heavily used natural grass baseball field.

Through GreenCare for Communities, Project EverGreen continues to partner with companies throughout the green industry to restore parks, athletic fields and other public green spaces. Each project helps create healthier neighborhoods while showcasing the lasting value of professionally maintained landscapes.

 

Leading the Next Chapter: Beth Berry on the Future of Project EverGreen

Leading the Next Chapter: A Conversation with Project EverGreen Board President Beth Berry

Project EverGreen is entering an exciting new chapter, one built on more than two decades of serving military families, revitalizing community green spaces, and bringing the green industry together around a shared purpose.

As the organization continues to expand its impact, including assuming leadership of Renewal & Remembrance at Arlington National Cemetery beginning in 2027, strong leadership has never been more important.

Beth Berry, vice president of turf and ornamental at Advanced Turf Solutions and president of Project EverGreen’s Board of Directors, has been an active supporter of the organization for several years. In this conversation, she shares her vision for the future, why volunteer service continues to inspire her, and how the green industry can build on its legacy of giving back.

Q: What is your top priority as Project EverGreen Board President?

A: We are incredibly honored to have been entrusted with leading Renewal & Remembrance into the future of our industry.

My top priority is making sure this is a seamless transition for our volunteers, our sponsors, and, most importantly, the families of our nation’s heroes as we help beautify the hallowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery. That means successfully leading Renewal & Remembrance into its next chapter beginning in 2027 while continuing to grow the mission of GreenCare for Troops.

Renewal & Remembrance - Project EverGreen

Project EverGreen Board President Beth Berry is committed to leading Renewal & Remembrance into its next chapter while honoring its proud tradition of volunteer service at Arlington National Cemetery.

To be trusted to work alongside Arlington National Cemetery’s full-time grounds crew is a responsibility we do not take lightly. Ensuring this event continues to showcase our industry’s commitment to excellence and service is essential to the long-term success and sustainability of this remarkable tradition.

Q: What makes Project EverGreen’s volunteer model unique?

A: Project EverGreen mobilizes an entire industry to action.

Our volunteers are lawn care and landscape professionals who show up with their own equipment, their own expertise, and their own time. That hands-on, boots-on-the-ground approach creates a direct connection between the people doing the work and the families and communities receiving it. It’s personal in a way that’s hard to replicate.

Every time I see or read about one of our volunteers serving a deployed military family, I’m reminded there is an opportunity cost for that business owner. That’s one more lawn they aren’t servicing, one more customer they aren’t billing. We never lose sight of that sacrifice, and we deeply appreciate the selfless spirit these companies demonstrate while serving military families.

The same is true for GreenCare for Communities. Our volunteers and donors have transformed neglected parks, athletic fields, and public green spaces into healthy, vibrant places where communities can gather, play, and thrive.

Q: Where do you see the greatest opportunity for Project EverGreen to expand its impact?

A: I’m most focused on reaching more military families through GreenCare for Troops.

We’ve been serving deployed service members and their families for more than 20 years, and the need hasn’t gone away. If anything, it’s grown. Every family we can take one responsibility off the shoulders of is a family that gains a little more peace of mind while their loved one is deployed.

One of my favorite comments we hear from deployed service members is, ‘It’s one less thing I have to worry about while I’m away from my home and family.’ That’s why, in addition to creating a healthier lawn and yard for the family, is exactly why we do this.

Q: How does Project EverGreen strengthen the green industry?

A: Every time our industry shows up for a military family or a GreenCare for Communities project, it reminds people what this industry truly represents. We are skilled professionals, generous neighbors, and dedicated community partners.

That visibility matters. It helps attract the next generation into the profession while changing perceptions about careers in the lawn and landscape industry. We’re demonstrating that this industry doesn’t just create beautiful landscapes, it makes a meaningful difference in people’s lives.

Q: Why is the Clean Air Calculator such an important tool?

A: For a long time, our industry’s impact was something people could see but not always measure.

The Clean Air Calculator changes that. It gives us real, measurable data that quantifies the environmental value of the green spaces our volunteers and partners create and maintain. In many ways, it allows our industry to go on offense by demonstrating the positive environmental benefits we deliver every day.

That matters because donors, sponsors, and communities increasingly want measurable results, not just good intentions. The Clean Air Calculator allows us to provide both.

Q: What role do volunteers, partners, and industry leaders play in Project EverGreen’s future?

A: None of this happens without our volunteers and sponsor and donor partners. They are the momentum behind everything we accomplish.

As we enter this next chapter, I’d encourage every company and every professional in our industry to ask how they can be part of it, whether that’s volunteering through GreenCare for Troops, supporting Renewal & Remembrance, participating in a GreenCare for Communities project, or simply helping spread the word.

This mission has always been bigger than any one organization.

One thing I know for certain is that the green industry fiercely supports and serves one another. Of the thousands of friends and colleagues I’ve met throughout my career, very few originally set out to build a career in lawn and landscape. Yet here we all are. This industry has a way of drawing people in, and once you’re here, it’s the people who make you stay. Your customers. Your employees. Your industry friends.

If I’m successful as Board President, Project EverGreen will dramatically expand the number of volunteers, partners, and supporters helping us maximize our impact.

Buckle up. The best is yet to come.

Get Involved with Project EverGreen

To learn more about Project EverGreen’s initiatives and how you can get involved, visit https://projectevergreen.org/

 

 

Tyler Adams Soccer Pitch Opens in Wappinger Falls Following Community Field Restoration

The newly restored Tyler Adams Soccer Pitch at Martz Field is once again ready to serve young athletes and families in Wappinger Falls, New York.

On July 22, Project EverGreen joined Scotts®, U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team standout Tyler Adams, Every Kid Sports, the Town of Wappinger Falls and green industry partners to celebrate the completion of the community athletic field renovation. The project transformed a worn natural grass playing surface into a safe, healthy field where the next generation of athletes can play, learn and grow.

Supported through Scotts’ Keep It Real initiative, the renovation is the latest GreenCare for Communities project led by Project EverGreen. It demonstrates how collaboration across the green industry can create lasting benefits for local communities by investing in healthy green spaces.

A Homecoming for Tyler Adams

For Adams, the ribbon-cutting was more than the opening of a renovated soccer field. It was a return to the place where his own soccer journey began.

“Growing up in Wappinger, this field played an important role in shaping who I am, both as an athlete and as a person,” said Adams. “It’s meaningful to return home and see it ready for the next generation of players. Every kid deserves access to safe places to play, and I’m proud to help bring that opportunity to my hometown community.”

Following the ceremony, Adams met with local youth and families, celebrating a project that reflects his commitment to giving back to the community that helped launch his career.

Green Industry Partners Make the Project Possible

Project EverGreen coordinated the restoration alongside Scotts, Every Kid Sports, the Town of Wappinger Falls and numerous green industry partners that donated products, equipment, expertise and volunteer labor.

Contributing partners included:

Together, these organizations restored the natural grass field while demonstrating the environmental, recreational and community benefits of professionally managed landscapes.

“Projects like this demonstrate what’s possible when the green industry comes together around a common purpose,” said Cindy Code, executive director of Project EverGreen. “From manufacturers and suppliers to contractors and volunteers, every partner played an important role in creating a field that will benefit local athletes and families for years to come. We’re grateful to Scotts, Tyler Adams, Every Kid Sports and everyone who helped make this transformation possible.”

Investing in Youth Sports Through Keep It Real

The Tyler Adams Soccer Pitch project is part of Scotts’ Keep It Real initiative, which helps improve access to high-quality natural grass playing fields so more children can experience the benefits of youth sports and outdoor play.

The initiative partners with organizations like Project EverGreen and Every Kid Sports to create healthier places where children can develop confidence, teamwork and lifelong memories.

“This project represents what Keep It Real is all about – investing in the places where kids can learn, grow and build confidence through playing sports,” said John Sass, senior vice president and general manager of North America at ScottsMiracle-Gro. “Seeing Tyler return home and celebrate a transformation alongside the Wappinger community makes this renovation really special.”

Continuing to Restore Community Green Spaces

The Tyler Adams Soccer Pitch follows another GreenCare for Communities renovation completed in June at the Yawkey Boys & Girls Club of Roxbury in Boston, where Project EverGreen, Scotts and industry partners restored a heavily used natural grass baseball field.

Through GreenCare for Communities, Project EverGreen continues to partner with companies throughout the green industry to restore parks, athletic fields and other public green spaces. Each project helps create healthier neighborhoods while showcasing the lasting value of professionally maintained landscapes.

 

Weed Man Launches Challenge Coin Initiative Honoring GreenCare for Troops Families

Weed Man has launched a Challenge Coin recognition initiative to honor military families participating in Project EverGreen’s GreenCare for Troops program. A charter supporter of Project EverGreen and one of North America’s leading lawn care franchise organizations, Weed Man continues to demonstrate its long-standing commitment to those who serve. Currently, Weed Man serves 275 military families in 29 states through the program.

Rooted in military tradition, challenge coins are symbols of service, sacrifice, camaraderie, and appreciation. Select Weed Man franchisees will present a custom challenge coin to every GreenCare for Troops family they serve as a lasting reminder that their sacrifices are recognized and valued by the communities they call home.

Madison, Wisconsin-based Epic3 franchise group, which currently provides complimentary lawn care services to 102 military families across 16 states, is one of the drivers of the Challenge Coin initiative.

“Weed Man is both excited and honored to expand our partnership with Project EverGreen’s GreenCare for Troops,” said Cam Cundiff of Epic3. “We want to do our part in giving back to the service members and families who sacrifice for our country every day, and this program allows us to do exactly that.”

Weed Man -Project EverGreen

Cam Cundiff of the Epic3 franchise group displays the custom Weed Man Challenge Coin that will be presented to GreenCare for Troops families as a symbol of gratitude and recognition for the sacrifices they make while a loved one serves our country. Epic3 currently provides complimentary lawn care services to 102 military families across 16 states.

Cundiff said they designed this challenge coin as a token of their profound respect and appreciation for deployed service members and their loved ones.

“Each family benefiting from GreenCare for Troops through an Epic3 franchise will receive a coin, letting them know we have their lawns covered while they serve and protect our country,” added Cundiff. “We hope it serves as a comforting reminder of home.”

Joe Schaffel, Weed Man franchise owner in Fort Worth, Texas, and an Army veteran said they want every family we serve to know their sacrifice matters.

“The challenge coin is a simple but meaningful way to express our gratitude and let military families know they are supported and appreciated,” said Schaffel.

“Since the beginning of GreenCare for Troops, Weed Man franchisees have stepped forward to serve military families in communities across the country,” said Cindy Code, executive director of Project EverGreen. “Their commitment reflects the best of our industry by combining service, community support, and environmental stewardship. The lawns and landscapes they maintain help create healthy outdoor spaces where families can gather, children can play, and military families can enjoy a sense of normalcy while their loved ones are serving our country.”

In addition to supporting military families, the healthy lawns and landscapes maintained through GreenCare for Troops provide measurable environmental benefits, including carbon sequestration, improved air quality, stormwater management, reduced urban heat, and safer outdoor environments for families.

Collectively, the properties served by Weed Man through GreenCare for Troops generate environmental benefits that include sequestering carbon, cleaning the air and creating cooler yards and homes.

During its 20th anniversary year, Project EverGreen is encouraging lawn care operators, landscape contractors, irrigation professionals, arborists, sports field managers, snow and ice professionals, and green industry suppliers to join the growing network of volunteers serving military families nationwide.

Since its inception in 2006, GreenCare for Troops has connected more than 15,000 volunteers with 20,000 military families and generated more than $20 million in donated lawn and landscape services. Today, more than 1,600 volunteers continue to serve military families across the United States, helping ease the burden of deployment one property at a time.

The need remains significant. Since the start of 2026 alone, nearly 400 military families have registered for assistance through the program. Every new volunteer helps ensure those families receive the support they deserve while a loved one serves our nation.

“As we celebrate 20 year serving military families through GreenCare for Troops, we’re reminded that the program’s success is built on the generosity of volunteers and partners like Weed Man,” Code said. “For two decades, lawn care and landscape professionals have stepped forward to support military families in a meaningful way. Their commitment continues to strengthen communities, improve outdoor spaces, and show military families that their sacrifices are appreciated.”

Join the Mission – Become a Volunteer Today!

Deployed families need support now. Be like the dedicated volunteers at Weed Man and step up with GreenCare for Troops and put your expertise to work.

The need is rising and every new volunteer means one less worry for a military family at home. GreenCare for Troops connects lawn and landscape professionals with families to provide essential services during deployment. If you’ve ever thought about giving back, this is the moment.

  • Put your skills to work
  • Support a family in your community
  • Make an immediate, meaningful impact

Join a nationwide network of professionals stepping up when it matters most. Volunteer today. Someone near you is waiting.

Sign up today

Thank You to Our Generous Supporters

The Title Sponsor of the GreenCare for Troops program is Nufarm, while BOSS Snowplow proudly sponsors SnowCare for Troops.

Our Platinum Partners include Toro, SiteOne Landscape Supply, and Heritage Landscape Supply.

The Silver Partner is Arborjet/Ecologel and our Affiliate Partners include the Connecticut Grounds Keepers Association and the Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association.

GreenCare for Troops is proudly endorsed by the National Association of Landscape Professionals.

Join us today and be part of something bigger.