Matthew Kreydatus

“Learning and Therapy Garden”, Kreydatus’ innovative teaching idea, is specifically designed to meet the unique needs of the students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, the population the alternative schools serve. Because many of the schools’ students are from urban neighborhoods, they have little opportunity to garden or even be in a natural setting. The goals of the garden are to teach children and young people the connection between food and health, to provide a setting for outdoor therapy, and to enable children to grow, harvest, prepare, and eat fresh food in the garden and in the training kitchen. Through the program, students will have regular lessons in the garden and learn the value of eating seasonal, minimally processed food. They will also explore the nutritional issues of their own community and discover the positive impact just one garden can have on a community. Kreydatus, who lives in Richmond, wants the garden to provide another positive therapeutic benefit to the students with developmental disabilities.