Washington non-profit sets out to strengthen communities, one small garden at a time.

Latest News!

Exciting news! OSG is planning a new project in Seattle for Broadview Emergency Shelter. June 9th we’ll be installing a veggie patch, herb garden & wildflower meadow for the women and children housed at Broadview. We are thrilled to be working with Solid Ground and thank them for allowing us this opportunity to make a difference! We believe a community garden at Broadview will aid in the healing of these women and their children whom are striving to rise above their circumstances, by forging a connection to the earth and nurturing hope and belief in one’s own ability to cultivate life. A community garden will be especially beneficial to the children, many of whom have never known the peace to be found in working the earth or the pride and joy of watching a little seed grow.

Please contact volunteers@onesmallgarden.net if you’d like to volunteer. Donations may be sent to 18305 SE Newport # N101 Issaquah, WA 98027 or paypal to hiwytozion@aol.com

Plans and the list of items needed for donation.

Beaverton, Oregon

How do you change the world? How do you unite a community? How do you bring hope to people? A Washington non-profit organization believes they have the answer - it’s one small garden at a time.

One Small Garden is a non-profit organization dedicated to the building of gardens for charity using sustainable, earth-friendly, and organic methods and materials. Their goal is to foster a culture of community involvement by utilizing local members of the community to assist in building the gardens along with a core group of experienced volunteers from their organization. They believe that community involvement is key to the success of the gardens and will generate a sense of ownership, pride, and hope within the community.  
 
One Small Garden was created as a way to continue stewardship of The Elanor Garden, a children's reading garden built in April 2003 for the Riggs Institute in Beaverton, OR. The garden was created in homage to J.R.R. Tolkien's literary character Samwise Gamgee, and the ideals he represents. Samwise’s first child was a daughter named Elanor. Sean Astin, (who played Samwise Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and also starred in Rudy and The Goonies) an advocate for literacy, was a volunteer and a key element to the success of Project Elanor.

The project was started by a fledgling organization which soon dissolved and left the garden with no caretaker. Many of the volunteers from the original crew determined they would continue caring for their “little Elanor”. One Small Garden was founded by three of the volunteers, Rebekah Washington, Johanna Washington, & Susan Astle, with the intent of being a bona fide non-profit and long-term steward of the Elanor Garden. A board of directors of seven was formed as the governing body and the volunteers were adopted into the organization. 

“There was an epiphany early on.” remarks Astle, co-founder and Director of Fundraising and Donations. “We opened our eyes, looked around, and saw communities and charities that would benefit from a garden. We saw opportunities to make a difference. We thought to ourselves: There is so much need...why stop at Elanor? After all, in Tolkien's work the character of Sam Gamgee had 13 children...why not 13 gardens? Why not even more?” 

Thus began the journey of a small group of volunteers to the organization affectionately referred to as OSG. Over the past two years, the volunteers have watched Elanor evolve into a well-loved community resource used not only by the Rigg’s Institute, but also enjoyed for many purposes within the neighborhood.

Sean Astin, who has an abiding affection for Oregon and a belief that One Small Garden will become a world class non-profit organization over time, is proud to be working closely with the organization as its concept and vision for the future evolves.  
 
The members of One Small Garden invite you to join them at www.onesmallgarden.org and participate with them as they work to make a difference in the world, one small garden at a time.

Rebekah Washington, Co-Founder, Landscape Designer, Project Manager, & Public Relations. Bachelor of Landscape Architecture(00), minors: Biology, Geography, & Environmental Studies, University of Oregon. Her past commitments include the Red Cross, the Seattle Native Plant Society, & the City of Issaquah Stream Team, monitoring stream water quality.

Susan Astle, Co-Founder, Director of Fundraising & Donations, Volunteer Coordinator. Over 35 years devoted to volunteering, including stocking food banks and emergency centers as well as coaching Little League and the Challenger Program.

Johanna Washington, Co-Founder, Public Relations and Travel Coordinator. A volunteer most of her young life, including the Red Cross and Therapeutic Horseback Riding, she currently volunteers at Camp Access, a 4-day summer day camp for kids with disabilities that teaches them to "never confuse disability with inability."

Amy Buckles, current website Administrator, Community Forum Administrator, and OSG Library archivist. A librarian for a private elementary school and mom of three, Amy volunteers in a variety of capacities at her children's school, in online community support and within the Christian church community.

Jason Richmond, Security and Technical Director. Jason works his magic behind the scenes with AV abilities for fundraising events and the great responsibility of watching over the volunteer’s safety.

Julianne Overall, Secretary. Diligent recorder and mother of two. A native Oregonian, she enjoys puttering around the garden and reading with her daughter, a fellow OSG volunteer. Though being an electrical engineer keeps her busy, she always has time to volunteer at her daughter’s school reading aloud to the children.