All it took was one letter to the editor, one letter thanking the city, for what turns out to be the work of the Azilda Community Action Network - specifically, Carole Boileau.
Sudbury.com received many messages about the gardens, and each one of them, attesting not only to the work of all the volunteers in the network, but of Boileau and her almost 20-year dedication to the community.
The letter in question was published on July 12, noting that at one point there were flowers in the planters near the bus shelters on Notre Dame in Azilda, then sadly, those flowers were stolen.
But the letter writer assumed it was city staff who initially planted and then replanted those flowers, and wrote to thank them for their quick response.
The people who know the work that Boileau puts into making the neighbourhood beautiful needed to ensure there was a correction to that assumption.
They wanted Greater Sudbury to know it was Boileau who planted the flowers, and Boileau who was heartbroken when she discovered that the plants she had just put in, along with flags in time for Canada Day, had been removed.
But not just pulled, Boileau told Sudbury.com. They were removed with the intention of transplanting in another garden. “Someone else really enjoyed those plantings, and I guess they needed them more,” she said.
As soon as she was able, Boileau “rescued” some leftover plants from the greenhouse and replanted the planters. It was this work that inspired a letter to the editor with thanks for the quick replacement.
Boileau does not do the work for credit. In fact, she initially asked Sudbury.com to leave her name out. But the people who sent letters just didn’t want that to happen and she relented.
The dedicated volunteers behind the community action network have taken responsibility for projects all around Azilda, including the skate park, the beach volleyball court, the beautification of local park as well as maintaining the trails that ribbon the area. They host events and support other community groups in the area with their projects and fundraisers as well.
Boileau said she has stayed with the group so long because she loves giving back to her hometown, and loves seeing the changing neighbourhood. New generations make their own stamp on the community, and she enjoys being a part of that.
“It’s about getting to know your neighbor,” said Boileau. “It was an older community, now there's a lot of young families that are buying in, and it's really neat to see both young and old enjoy our events.”
Boileau does much of the garden work in planters around Azilda; she also stores enormous Christmas-tree shaped decorations in her garage, waiting for their reveal at Christmas when they are placed around the town.
“I've been doing it for a long time,” she said. But I never wanted my name to be out there because I just do it. I enjoy gardening and it's nice just to make people happy.”
But while it is a labour of love, it is a labour nonetheless and Boileau’s neighbours told Sudbury.com that she deserves every bit of credit, even if she won’t take it.
