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Fort Gordon Partners with AmeriCorps to reopen Victory Garden

By Lesli Ellis-Wouters and Anne BowmanApril 5, 2023

Victory Garden Planting
1 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army Col. Reginal Evans, Garrison Commander, and Col. Diana Weber, Commander Defense Health Agency Eisenhower Army Medical Center, plant blueberry bushes as the first new planting at the Victory Garden reopening ceremony. (Photo Credit: Anne Bowman, Public Affairs Specialist, Fort Gordon, GA) VIEW ORIGINAL
Victory Garden Reopening
2 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army Col. Reginald Evans, Garrison Commander, addresses the crowd at the reopening of the community's Victory Garden on Fort Gordon, Ga., March 29. (Photo Credit: Anne Bowman, Public Affairs Specialist, Fort Gordon, Ga.) VIEW ORIGINAL
Tree City USA
3 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Army Soldiers, AmeriCorps volunteers and community members celebrate Fort Gordon's Directorate of Public Work’s (DPW) Environmental Division-Natural Resources Branch's 30-year commitment as environmental stewards and being designated as a "tree city" USA. (Photo Credit: Anne Bowman, Public Affairs Specialist, Fort Gordon, Ga.) VIEW ORIGINAL
Victory Garden ribbon cutting
4 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Fort Gordon and AmeriCorps leadership cut the ribbon officially re-opening the community's Victory Garden. (Photo Credit: Anne Bowman, Public Affairs Specialist, Fort Gordon, Ga.) VIEW ORIGINAL

It was a bittersweet day, March 29, as it marked the end of a monthlong stay for a team of young AmeriCorps volunteers who worked hard to make Fort Gordon’s community garden viable again.

The AmeriCorps and community volunteers and Directorate of Public Work’s (DPW) Environmental Division-Natural Resources Branch conducted a small ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the first step towards reopening the installation’s Victory Garden and to recognize those that made it possible.

Fort Gordon was the first Army Installation to request and receive an AmeriCorps team. In addition to restoring the community garden area, the group worked with the DPW’s Environmental Division-Natural Resources Branch on natural resource work-projects throughout their time here. Some of these included conducting controlled burns (which is crucial to Long leafed pine – wiregrass ecosystem restoration), working on ponds, and habitat maintenance on the installation’s mature pine forests that the endangered Red-cockaded woodpeckers and gopher tortoises call home.

The Environmental Division-Natural Resources Branch also received recognition at the ceremony for their quiet professionalism and dedication in managing Fort Gordon’s environmental resources. For 30 consecutive years, through the Arbor Day Foundation and in partnership with the Georgia Forestry Commission, Fort Gordon has been designated as a ‘Tree City USA.’ For this honor, the installation received two Live Oak trees which the AmeriCorps volunteers and housing mayors planted at the conclusion of the ceremony perfectly capturing the spirit of the groups assembled there - environmental stewards, national volunteers, service members and military family members – all, in their own way, giving back to their communities and making the world a better place through public service.

If you are a DOD-ID card holder and interested in making a difference in the community where you live, work or play, or your job requires documented community service, explore volunteer opportunities with Fort Gordon Army Community Service (ACS)’s Army Volunteer Corps – for program details visit their page: https://gordon.armymwr.com/programs/avc

To learn more about AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) here: https://americorps.gov/serve/americorps/americorps-nccc

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