After years of waiting, residents, staff, benefactors and invited guests at St. Gabriel Villa in Chelmsford were on hand for the unveiling of the care home's new healing gardens Monday.
Two plaques will grace the gardens, dedicated in memory of Monique Landry-Sabourin and Gabriel Belanger. It was their families who got the ball rolling with the fundraising efforts for the gardens.
“It is a very important day for our residents,” said Jo-Anne Palkovits, CEO, St. Joseph's Health Centre.
“It was a long time coming. While we had the building up and running, we did not have the funds to complete the garden. It was due to the graciousness of the Sabourin family and the Belanger family that this is a reality.”
The total cost for two gardens was about $170,000, she said.
“It is a beautiful space for our residents,” Palkovits said.
“There wasn't really much here for them before this. Many of our residents were gardeners, and they've contributed to the beauty. To be able to enjoy the nature and flowers is very healing. We very much look at our facility as a place to heal the body, mind and spirit, and this healing garden only helps us that much more to accomplish those goals.”
Pascal Sabourin said his late wife would be impressed with the final results.
“It's beautiful compared to what was here before,” he said. “When the families got together with the foundation, we got the ball rolling. Construction started early spring, and it's great, it's really great.
“It's very fitting that this is honouring Monique's (Landry-Sabourin) memory, because she was also a gardener.”
