GARDEN OF GOOD

Share this article with a friend.

August 31, 2021

For information on enrollment and registration at Notre Dame, please visit the admissions section of our website here.

Notre Dame Prep sophomore embraces Notre Dame/Marist values by planting and maintaining a community garden at local hospital.

Notre Dame sophomore Michael Kenny was recently honored by Ascension Providence Hospital in Rochester for his work in planting and nurturing a community garden on hospital grounds to benefit Neighborhood House, a nonprofit serving the area with programs for those in need and experiencing hardship. 

According to Kenny, his project grew from researching an Eagle Scout project.

"When I was looking for an Eagle project for the Boy Scouts, I came into contact with Lynn McCabe, who is director of volunteer services at the hospital, and she offered me the opportunity to develop and maintain their garden and give the produce to Neighborhood House," he said. "While the garden did not specifically meet the specifications to qualify for an Eagle project, I still wanted to run the garden. So I made it my Personal Project."

He said that throughout the process of starting the garden, he learned that one in four people in the Rochester area suffer from hunger. 

"I know that if I can help just one of them, I can make a difference, said Kenny, who also serves as one of Notre Dame Prep's student ambassadors. "Throughout this past summer, I was able to harvest more than 100 pounds of food for many of the needy in my community."

Chris Palazzolo, who is president and CEO of Ascension Genesys Hospital and Ascension Providence Rochester Hospital, recently honored Kenny in a celebration that included McCabe and Kathy Losinski, executive director of the Neighborhood House in Rochester Hills, and other hospital staff. Palazzolo placed a commemorative plaque in the garden to honor the volunteer work that Kenny and his family have done over the years with the hospital.

"It was an absolute honor to meet all those wonderful people and I look forward to continuing to maintain the garden and work with Ascension in the coming years," said Kenny, who attended Holy Family for grade school.

Notre Dame's Marist theme for this school year is “ardent love of neighbor,” and it's something Kenny thoroughly embraces with his work in the community.

"The garden can help neighbors in the Rochester area by supplying them with fresh vegetables," he said. "I believe that by running such a community garden, I can definitely show a love for my neighbors while also being a Christian person and an upright citizen."

Now into his third week of school at Notre Dame Prep, Kenny is hopeful that the school year will be relatively normal given all of the external issues the community and the world has been dealing with.

"Coming to Notre Dame has been an incredible opportunity to grow both academically and spiritually," he said. "Despite all the challenges the pandemic has presented, every day I come to school I’m surrounded by amazing teachers and motivated classmates and I'm encouraged to do my best in everything whether it's in the classroom or as part of the school's clubs and extracurricular activities. This school has such an amazing atmosphere for all students to truly learn and serve."

For information on enrollment and registration at Notre Dame, please visit the admissions section of our website here.

Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org

Follow Notre Dame on Twitter at @NDPMA.

About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. Notre Dame Preparatory School enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower schools enroll students in pre-kindergarten through grade eight. All three schools are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the National Association of Independent Schools. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school’s home page at www.ndpma.org.