(Interview starts at 6:22) Our guest today is Helen Rortvedt, executive director of KidsGardening.org, a national organization that has been a leader in the school gardening movement since 1982. KidsGardening inspires, supports and connects educators and families by providing garden grants and curriculum, and as they say – by cultivating a community of practice. Check out their stated mission: We create opportunities for kids to learn and grow through gardening, engaging their natural curiosity and wonder. And it is also opportunity that encouraged me to not only reach out to Helen to join me on the STEM greenhouse podcast but also to join the organization’s board of directors in 2018. I am proud to be a part of KidsGardening.org and know for a fact that after listening to this episode, you will also be inspired to engage with them in one of many ways. This episode is relevant to every person in the horticulture industry, no matter what your segment or role. We all know a teacher. We all know a kid. We are all a part of a community. We all love plants and understand how they can positively impact someone’s life or how they engage with the world around them. All of these commonalities mean we have what it takes to lend support to KidsGardening. But in the next 40 minutes we’ll all learn a lot more about how impactful a school garden can be, how important garden curriculum is across all ages of students subjects in schools, how a community garden program can lift the spirits of kids who feel alienated and lost and how getting youth excited about gardening will not only grow our future customer base but potentially also our future labor force. Resources: Newsletter sign up: https://kidsgardening.org/subscribe-to-kidsgarden-news/Youth Garden Grant Info - the 2020 Youth Garden Grant will open Fall, 2019: https://kidsgardening.org/garden-grants/2019 Youth Garden Grant with this year's sponsors and winners: https://kidsgardening.org/2019-youth-garden-grant/Youth Garden Grant Sponsor Info: https://kidsgardening.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Youth-Garden-Grant-Sponsorship-Levels-2-page.pdfPortal link for teachers: Either go to kidsgardening.org and use the "Educator Resources" menu in the navigation bar, or visit https://kidsgardening.org/educator-resources/Growing Guides: https://kidsgardening.org/plant-of-the-month/Kids Garden Month Info: https://kidsgardening.org/kidsgarden-month-2019/ Social Media Links: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KidsGardening.org/ |@KidsGardening.orgInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/kidsgardening/ | @kidsgardeningTwitter: https://twitter.com/Kids_Gardening | @Kids_Gardening Contact Links: Email Guest Helen Rortvedt: HelenR@kidsgardening.orgEmail Host Bill Calkins: bcalkins@ballhort.com NEW! Connect on Instagram - @STEMGreenhousePodcast#STEMGreenhousePodcastConnect with Ball Seed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ball-seed-co/Follow The Gardens at Ball on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GardensAtBall/See Ball Seed Videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BallSeedVideo