Everyone is invited to the LIFTT Community Garden Kickoff on Friday, May 15, beginning at noon
A New Season of Growth, Connection, and Possibility Awaits in the LIFTT ADA-Accessible, all-inclusive Community Garden!
There are seasons in life when we prepare the soil, and seasons when we begin again. At LIFTT, the garden is calling us back.
After a remarkable first year, one that brought together more than 100 participants, fostered inclusion across abilities, and transformed a simple space into a living community, the ADA-accessible, all-inclusive Community Garden is preparing to open its gates once more. What began as a project grounded in accessibility and inclusion quickly became something far more expansive: a place where individuals could gather, learn, and rediscover their capacity to grow.
This new season begins on May 15 at noon, when LIFTT will host its Community Garden Kickoff. On that day, the garden will open once again to both returning participants and those encountering it for the first time. As part of the celebration, free plant starts and seeds donated to LIFTT by San Diego Seed Company will be offered to anyone in the community who wishes to take part. This invitation is intentionally open, extending beyond current garden members to neighbors, friends, and anyone curious about what this space has to offer. Whether someone arrives with years of gardening experience or simply a willingness to try, the garden welcomes them equally.
What distinguishes the LIFTT Community Garden is not only what is grown, but how it is grown. Designed from the outset to remove barriers, the garden provides an environment where people of all abilities can participate fully. Raised beds, adaptive tools, and accessible pathways make it possible for individuals to stand, sit, reach, and work in ways that honor their bodies and their needs. In this carefully designed space, gardening becomes more than an activity; it becomes a shared practice of inclusion, where no one is asked to remain on the margins.
During the previous season, something quietly transformative took place. Participants did not simply plant vegetables; they began to cultivate a deeper sense of belonging. They learned from one another, supported one another, and discovered that growth can take many forms. For some, it meant gaining confidence after years of hesitation. For others, it meant finding peace in the rhythm of tending soil and plants. What emerged was not only a garden, but a community rooted in dignity, connection, and mutual encouragement.
As this new season begins, the garden stands as both a continuation and an invitation. It invites individuals to step into a space where learning happens naturally, where relationships form without effort, and where small acts like planting a seed, watering a bed, sharing a harvest, carry meaning beyond themselves. It offers a chance to reconnect with the outdoors, to rediscover patience, and to experience the quiet satisfaction of nurturing something over time.
Looking ahead, LIFTT remains committed to expanding what the garden makes possible. The coming months will bring opportunities for learning, connection, and shared experience, as participants gather not only to grow food but to build community. Workshops, conversations, and moments of collaboration will continue to shape the garden as a place where independence is supported and inclusion is practiced daily. Yet beyond any specific activity, the true value of the garden lies in what cannot be easily measured: the sense of being welcomed, of being seen, and of belonging to something larger than oneself.
The kickoff on May 15 marks the beginning of this new chapter. It is an opportunity to step into the garden, to take part in its unfolding, and to become part of a story that continues to grow with each season. Those who come will find more than plants ready to be placed in the soil; they will find a space shaped by care, intention, and the belief that everyone deserves the opportunity to participate fully in the life of their community.
This season is also sustained by the quiet but unwavering dedication of those who believe deeply in the garden’s purpose. LIFTT extends a heartfelt thank you to Board Chair Garrett Mills, whose passion for gardening continues to nurture not only the plants themselves, but also the vision of what this space represents. His commitment helps keep both the garden and our shared dreams of growth alive.
At LIFTT, every seed planted carries with it the promise of growth. And with each new season, that promise is renewed—not only in what is harvested, but in the lives that are touched along the way.
For more information about the LIFTT ADA-Accessible, all-Inclusive, Community Garden, please contact LIFTT Nutritional Health Coach Eileen Rodrigiuz at (406) 294-5185 or eileenr@liftt.org
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Plant starts ready to be transplanted to the LIFTT Community Garden (Photos Courtesy of Garrett Mills)
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About Living Independently for Today & Tomorrow (LIFTT): LIFTT is a Montana 501(c)3 corporation organized as a Center for Independent Living (CIL). With team members based in Billings and Glendive, LIFTT provides aging and disabled members of the community with programs and services that help empower them to break down the physical, bureaucratic, and cultural barriers that prevent them from being fully independent participants in their lives and communities throughout 18 counties in southeastern and south-central Montana: Big Horn, Carbon, Carter, Custer, Dawson, Fallon, Garfield, Golden Valley, McCone, Musselshell, Powder River, Prairie, Richland, Rosebud, Stillwater, Treasure, Wibaux, and Yellowstone. For more information, please visit liftt.org or download our mobile app for your Apple device.
Our Vision: Empowering aging and disabled individuals to LIFTT themselves above the barriers of life.
Our Mission: Living Independently for Today and Tomorrow – LIFTT’s mission is to empower aging and disabled individuals to live independently through education, support, and opportunities.