Xcel Energy: Grant Supports Teaching Garden Education

For Immediate Release:

Ground Works-Midwest/SD Ag in the Classroom

Cindy Heidelberger Larson, cindy@groundworksmidwest.org

Grant Supports Teaching Garden Education

Sioux Falls, S.D.

(August 28, 2018) - Ground Works Midwest is pleased to announce its continued partnership with Xcel Energy by accepting a grant from them in the amount of $10,000.00. The grant will allow Ground Works Midwest to develop teaching garden manuals for the seventeen theme gardens that the organization has created for elementary and middle schools in the area. Included in these manuals will be maps for planting, maintenance plans and plant care, pictures of plants for identification purposes, lesson plans for the classroom and an educational bibliography. These manuals will provide educators with all the materials necessary in a step-by-step format to ensure success in implementing the teaching garden into more classrooms.

“Xcel Energy has been an integral partner to Ground Works Midwest and its mission to bring the best educational materials to the 15 teaching gardens already in place within the Ground Works Midwest network. As our program grows so does our relationship. With a special emphasis on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), a collaboration with Xcel Energy is a natural fit and provides a golden opportunity to grow the future in a tangible way.” Cindy Heidelberger Larson, associate director, Ground Works Midwest said.

“Xcel Energy supports communities in four important focus areas: arts & culture, economic sustainability, education and environment,” said Eric Pauli, community relations manager, Xcel Energy. “It’s organizations like Ground Works Midwest that bring our foundation dollars to life by educating our youth in new and exciting ways that quite frankly make it fun to learn.”

Ground Works Midwest is a local non-profit focused on bringing innovative educational resources to elementary and middle school teaching garden programs.