Submitted by Chris Salgado, Community and Family Health
The work of the Richmond Schoolyard Society to benefit children’s health will be highlighted at an upcoming community fundraising event. Dr. James Lu, Richmond’s Medical Health Officer, will join other presenters including founder Chef Ian Lai and representatives from teachers, parents and children to talk about how programs such as schoolyard gardens give children the chance to learn about the food they eat and helps them make healthy choices the easy choice.
The event is the first annual golf tournament and dinner to support the Shaughnessy/Greenacres Richmond Children’s and Youth Endowment Fund, established to support the health of children and youth in Richmond. The event – a partnership between the Shaughnessy and Greenacres Golf Clubs and the Richmond Schoolyard Society – is being held on Thursday September 6, 2012 at Greenacres Golf Course. Proceeds this year will go to the Richmond Schoolyard Society.
This year’s fundraising event includes 18 holes of golf in a scramble format, with a shotgun start at 1 pm; dinner featuring food from the Richmond Schoolyard Society’s very own school gardens; a live auction hosted by Bill Chalmers; a presentation from the Richmond Schoolyard Society; and many great prizes.
The mission of the Richmond Schoolyard Society is to bring children into the outdoor classroom where they connect with the earth and their community. The Richmond School Gardens provide over 500 children in four elementary schools with hands on opportunities to learn to grow, harvest and eat nutritiously. Outdoor classroom activities, aligned with the school curriculum, integrate the complete food cycle from seed to table and from table back to soil.