Our volunteers make a huge impact in the Campus Garden. We would not be the growing and thriving garden today without our many wonderful volunteers over the past 10 years. We recognize our outstanding volunteers beginning with our first Volunteer of the Year in 2022!
Rachel Smith- Masters in Counselor Education, Class of 2022
Congratulations to Rachel Smith! Her outstanding volunteer service, consistency in volunteering, and willingness to show up and help out with any needs made her the obvious choice as volunteer of the year! Her effervescent personality and enduring smile are truly missed in the garden, yet we’re very happy to see her move on to pursue a wonderful career!
Rachel shared some thoughts about her time with us in the garden:
“It is an honor to be the first-ever Campus Garden volunteer of the year! I am so grateful for the time I have spent in the UA Little Rock Campus Garden. I not only learned a lot about plants and gardening, but I learned about myself. Getting out in the fresh air and being able to care for something and watch it grow is something I wish everyone would experience. I met new people and made friends. I ate fresh spinach that I helped grow! Picking fresh fruits and vegetables that I helped care for is such a rewarding feeling. Helping in the garden is something that instantly made me feel better, no matter what I was going through. I will never forget my experiences in the garden and I am so grateful to everyone, especially Nancy and Dr. Grace, for making the garden such an awesome place for people to volunteer! Also- I had an awesome time helping Mr. Stuckey with the bees!”
We’re so proud of Rachel and know she will thrive in her new, big adventure in education!
