Penniplede Park gets a garden for Earth Day BY ERIN O. STATTEL Staff Writer ERIC SUCAR staff Master gardeners helped Matawan-Aberdeen 4-H Club members beautify Joseph Penniplede Park by planting flowers and shrubs last Saturday. MATAWAN - The Matawan-Aberdeen 4-H Club, with an assist from Monmouth County Master Gardeners, added some color and care to Joseph Penniplede Park on Jackson Street April 19. "We have been adopting this park over the past year," said Kris Bradley, one of the moderators of the environmentally focused 4-H club. "We have been planning the plantings and thought that Earth Day would be appropriate." According to Bradley, about half of the club's members are autistic and this activity is important because it promotes their inclusion within the community. "There's a lot of ideas out there about what's stereotypically autistic," Bradley said. "People don't know that there are a middle ground of kids with autism and it's important for the community to include them and see them making a difference in town." The club wanted to do something permanent at the park, which they have adopted. "We have been doing cleanups throughout the year there, and later in the year a mural will be painted on the wall ball court," Bradley said. "In the fall, we will plant bulbs so they will bloom in the spring and we will be maintaining the park throughout the rest of the year." With the help of Monmouth County Master Gardeners, a cooperative extension of Rutgers University, the 4-H members were able to construct a well-planned garden. "The Monmouth County Master Gardeners received a call of help from the 4- H club and so I jumped right in," said Maria Kramer, a Master Gardener who took the lead on this project. "We helped design the garden and we created two gardens with short entrances so the children can interact with the plants." With the help of 13 Monmouth County Master Gardeners, the club planted flowers and shrubs, which were donated by Four Seasons Nursery in Manalapan and The Farm at Lloyd Road in Aberdeen. Members of the community also made cash donations for the group to help cover expenses incurred. "I live right next door in Morganville and we love getting involved with community plantings," Kramer said. "This was so important because I believe that these children should be interacting with nature and the smiles on their faces were just great." Kramer said that the flowers chosen by the Master Gardeners are meant to attract all kinds of butterflies when they bloom. "What is special about this project is that it is ongoing for the children," Kramer explained. "We will plant annuals in May and continue to mulch, but the children will be charged with taking care of the garden year round." For the Matawan-Aberdeen 4-H Club and the Monmouth County Master Gardeners, a friendship has been forged. "I loved helping them," Kramer said. "If they need my help again, I will be more than happy to give it."