By Gail Pope
Landscape Ontario’s Toronto Chapter and Beech Nurseries teamed up to sponsor the Memory Garden at the IG Wealth Management Walk for Alzheimer’s, held May 30 in downtown Toronto, Ont.
The concept was simple: create a beautiful landscaped garden with various plants and trees to provide a space for families and friends to gather to hang photos and messages for loved ones lost to dementia.
Toronto Chapter board member Wendy Ladd championed the initiative, securing plant material to build the garden, plus a $1,000 donation from the Chapter.
Fellow Toronto Chapter board member Alex Eremita facilitated the project, providing and transporting the greenery from his company, Beech Nurseries, to the event.
Four of the spruce trees used in the garden will be awarded to the event’s highest fundraisers and planted with a plaque to honour the individual they walked for.
Ladd noted the profound impact the garden had on the participants.
“Many people shared that they had tears in their eyes when they clipped on the photos of the ones they love who have passed,” Ladd said. “When Alex and I left, we both said to each other, ‘That was a good thing the Toronto Chapter did, and we made a difference.’”
By the end of the day, Ladd said the garden was filled with photos and memories from many of the more than 650 attendees.
Patricia Eadie, marketing and events manager for Alzheimer Society Peel, said she too could feel the garden’s impact.
“Seeing families, friends and supporters hang photos from the tree branches reminded us all of the true reason behind our walk,” Eadie said. “The Memory Garden showed how collective compassion can create a profound and lasting impact on those affected by dementia.”
The contribution arrives at a critical time. The Alzheimer Society of Canada projects that by 2030, more than one million Canadians may be living with dementia.
