Adult Day Center Of Somerset To Honor Bridgewater Garden Club

Press release from the Adult Day Center of Somerset County:

June 2, 2021

The Adult Day Center of Somerset County (ADC) has announced the Bridgewater Garden Club as the winner of the 2021 Ventantonio Volunteerism Award. The Bridgewater Garden Club is being recognized for their dedication to the ADC’s therapy garden. The award will be presented at the Getting Better with Age Wine Tasting event on June 17, 2021, at the Raritan Valley Country Club.

For several years, volunteers from the Bridgewater Garden Club have adopted the ADC’s Therapy Garden as one of their projects. Volunteers have spent countless hours cleaning, weeding, pruning, and making the therapy garden into one of its most valued treasures.

Bridgewater Garden Club member Beth Spinelli, a former caregiver of an ADC member, learned about the therapy garden while attending a support group in 2018. She learned that it had been designed and installed as the class project of a team from the Leadership Somerset Class of 2011. She noticed that while the plants were growing well, the garden was badly in need of some TLC. She shared the needs of the garden with members of the Bridgewater Garden Club and several of them agreed to help her bring the garden back to its original design.

Over the past few years, members have spent at least one day per week in the garden. Each member has purchased plants, fountains, decorations, or other materials with their own funds or secured donations from their families or friends. About their participation, members explained, “We love gardening. We love to meet new people and give back to the community. Working at the ADC has been a rewarding experience and we are honored by this recognition.”

Diann Robinson, Executive Director, explains “The ADC has limited funds and manpower to dedicate to the therapy garden and we are so grateful for the Bridgewater Garden Club for recognizing the importance of the therapy garden and keeping it maintained for the members to enjoy. We are honored to recognize them for their efforts.”

The Ventantonio Volunteerism Award was named in memory of Bridgewater residents Jim and Anita Ventantonio. The couple made generous contributions of financial resources and leadership to the ADC and to the greater Somerset County community. Jim served on the ADC Board of Trustees for several years and subsequently served as legal counsel when ADC was a tenant at the People Care Center. Anita sat on the Board of Trustees from 2012 – 2015 and served as Chair.

The “Getting Better with Age” Wine Tasting is one of the Center’s two fundraising events. Proceeds from the event go towards operating expenses, which are the most difficult to raise. They are necessary to pay dedicated staff, take care of the facility, purchase program materials, and launch new therapeutic activities. This year the funds will be directed towards expenses incurred for the re-opening of the ADC later this summer. Tickets are still available and can be purchased through the ADC’s website – www.adultdaycenter.org.

The ADC, a compassionate community of acceptance, is a non-profit agency committed to providing extraordinary day care services for the elderly and disabled residents of Somerset County, and support for caregiving families. Please contact Hilary Kruchowy, CFRE, Director of Development, for more information or at hilary.kruchowy@adultdaycenter.org or (908) 725-0068.

This press release was produced by the Adult Day Center of Somerset County. The views expressed here are the author's own.