HIGH SCHOOL graduation brings excitement. Every experience becomes a cherished memory as prom night fades into snapping last-minute photos, distributing caps and gowns, and college acceptance letters pile up on the dresser. But for some, high school graduation marks the end of an era — the end of the rhythm of planned social gatherings, a large pool of friends, and a reason to leave the house each day.
With the date of their daughter’s graduation circled on their 2014 calendar, Bill and Carol Greer asked themselves, “What will come next for Ginna?” Her peers and twin brother were attending college or starting new jobs. Ginna had survived a stroke as an infant and was now courageously battling recurrent seizures, so although others around her had unlimited possibilities opening up to them, Ginna’s future remained uncertain.
“Once an individual with intellectual and developmental delays reaches the age of 21 and is no longer in school, the system of education, supports, and encouragement essentially stops,” explained Bill. “This leaves many individuals dependent upon government assistance and lacking opportunities to develop their potential, find purposeful work, and make a positive impact in the community. We were seeing such capable individuals in Special Olympics who were sitting at home every day with no job or no way to contribute, and we thought, ‘What can we do to make this better?’”
The Greers came up with a daringly creative idea — one that would benefit not only their daughter, Ginna, but others they cared about as well. They named it “Top Crops.” Its mission statement is, “We grow food. We grow potential. And we grow community.”
After their initial concept of providing gardening opportunities to individuals with varied abilities, they needed a piece of land, a substantial greenhouse, green thumbs, basic gardening know-how, faithful volunteers, a place to sell their bounty, and plenty of customers. They refused to let this growing list of needs uproot their dreams.
“A garden would be social — a way to introduce healthy food choices. It would be great exercise outside, and the Community Farmers Market (CFM) could add another level of learning and social opportunities for not only our gardeners but — just as importantly — with the greater Bowling Green community. We met with the founders of CFM, and they were very accepting of Top Crops being part of the market. We’ve been with CFM for 10 years now, and fellow CFM vendors have just been wonderful.”
Western Kentucky University (WKU) graciously stepped in. It provided Top Crops with a long-term lease of a ⅓-acre site at the WKU Agriculture & Research Education Center — WKU’s working farm off Nashville Road, with more than 800 acres. WKU farm personnel continue to provide support and guidance to help Top Crops’ garden grow.
Several corporations — such as Atmos Energy, Connected Nation, and countless individuals and local businesses — have supported Top Crops since its humble beginning in 2013. The annual United Way Day of Caring provided volunteers to support project builds at the garden site. Another team of volunteers constructed display shelves at the Top Crops booth at CFM. The Home Depot Foundation provided the first garden beds, and Top Crops was able to purchase the high tunnel greenhouse with a grant through the National Resources Conservation Service — a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“We started Top Crops to give individuals with disabilities a chance to have continuing educational experience, a social outlet, and for our gardeners to provide products beneficial to the health of the community. For both the gardeners and our volunteers, it’s become a wonderful family of individuals that gather for a common goal, and we manage to make it fun as well. Our customers at the CFM are eager to connect with our gardeners, and we look forward to those interactions each week.”
Top Crops currently has 10 regular gardeners who work the garden and run the booth at the CFM. It partners with The HIVE Inc. and other local nonprofits striving to empower anyone with intellectual and developmental disabilities by providing social gatherings and enjoyable learning opportunities.
“Every person has great potential and the ability to make a positive difference in our community. By investing our time and talents in others and creating opportunities to continuously learn and grow, we help them reach their potential, and we help our community become a better place for all.” GN
