One of the things I’m most proud of in my work at the Chicago Botanic Garden was my part in an ongoing effort to serve the veteran community.

In 2013, we launched a monthly program where clinicians and clients from Thresholds, one of the largest mental health providers in Chicago, come for a monthly retreat at the Garden.

In this video, you can watch one of my staff members, Alicia Green, describe the program.

Another meaningful program we offered at the Garden was a Military Appreciation Day, organized through the USO.

On a beautiful summer day, active duty personnel, veterans and their families came to a free day at the Garden complete with admission to the tram ride, Model Railroad Garden, Butterflies & Blooms, and other experiences, plus a luncheon. We helped the children get their hands a little dirty with a terrarium activity in the Buehler Enabling Garden.

It was striking how eager our staff and volunteers were to participate in the program’s planning and implementation. We heard nothing but good things from the families who attended.

Learn more about the day.

Over the last 20 years, nature-based therapies have attracted a great deal of interest in Europe, and there has been a movement to implement the therapeutic use of gardens in clinics and healthcare facilities and add related studies to university curricula.

As part of an effort to understand the value of Horticultural Therapy and related professions, the European Union has funded the Natur im Garden organization since 1999, and they have organized conferences, lectures, webinars and other activities each year. I gave the keynote for their 2013  Conference in Tulln, Austria, just outside of Vienna.

It was a great honor and a wonderful opportunity to meet my contemporaries from around the world.

In the photo, I’m shown with Wolfgang Sobotka, the First Deputy of Lower Austria, and Stefan Streicher, one of the conference organizers.

Learn more about my keynote.