Boca Raton Teens Helping Clean-Up a Local Neighborhood

Boca Raton Student-Led Group Will Help Clean-Up an Overgrown Field Covering an Iconic Mural in Delray Beach by Transforming it Into a Butterfly Garden

Delray Beach, FL – Recent Philanthropy Tank (www.philanthropytank.org) awarded program Growing Native Oases Made for Engagement (GNOME) will roll up their sleeves this Saturday, September 10^th to turn the overgrown Pocket Refuge near Catherine Strong Park in Delray Beach into a thriving, beautiful butterfly garden. The event is free and open to public volunteers.

During the three-hour event, student volunteers from Florida Atlantic University High School in Boca Raton will join adults to weed and clear out the natural area that has become an eyesore, covering part of the iconic mural entitled, “It Takes a Village.” The volunteers will then plant a variety of plants to attract butterflies and other pollinators. The main goal of the garden will be to bring pollinators to the area to support the Community Grove adjacent to the refuge that features native fruit trees that support the surrounding neighborhoods. GNOME hopes the space will also become a place where they can hold future events to give students and community members a chance to learn about the benefits of gardening.

“It is amazing to see how far GNOME has come, and we are thrilled to get our initiative started with our first event. The overwhelming response received from volunteers and the support from Philanthropy Tank has been extremely rewarding,” says Mallory Thomas, Co-Founder, GNOME, and Senior at FAU High School.

GNOME is one of five student-led philanthropy programs awarded during the Philanthropy Tank Year 7 Finals Event in March. GNOME was founded by four students at FAU High School. Their mission is to create community butterfly gardens in underserved communities throughout Palm Beach County in the hope of raising awareness about environmental issues.

Philanthropy Tank is currently accepting applications for its next class of Palm Beach County “CHANGEMakers.” The deadline to apply is Sunday, October 23rd.

Philanthropy Tank challenges, empowers, and equips students to develop and execute sustainable initiatives and solutions to solve problems in their communities. Philanthropist Investors fund student initiatives, investing in their own community projects. Through one-to-one mentoring, philanthropist investors fuel students’ desire, helping them execute initiatives, while increasing their ability to make meaningful change.