Southeast Nebraska Cancer Memorial Garden Raising Funds For Perpetual Upkeep

HUMBOLDT -  The Southeast Nebraska Cancer Memorial Garden in Humboldt held a drive through barbecue on Friday as part of its campaign to establish a perpetual care program.

Fundraising organizer Rick Karas said the drive-through idea worked earlier this year when a breakfast was served and was scheduled to coincide with the homecoming football game and the Richardson County Free Fair.

Karas got involved with the garden two years ago when his mother passed away with cancer.

Karas: “I really enjoy what these ladies have done here and so I wanted to be part of it.”

Lois Luthy, president of the Garden Club in Humboldt,  said the garden’s upkeep is accomplished through volunteer’s time and donations.

 

Luthy: “We are hoping to get a perpetual care program that will continue after we’re not here to do it, maybe our kids or our grandkids are  helping with the garden, and we’re hoping that money will be put aside so they don’t have to struggle to find the money to plant the plants, get the mulch, to put new trees in or to pay a groundskeeper.”

Luthy will be pulling plant slips this fall to generate new plantings and will grow seeds and plugs in her greenhouse for next year.

Luthy: “It takes us about just in annuals and the perennials that we plant  just in the plants alone about $15,000 every year.”

The garden currently features 10 bronze statues and Jan Wilhelm expects six more to be arriving soon.

 

One is an educator statue donated by former students and another is for a coach of a girls softball team. A woman who lost her husband to brain cancer donated a tricycle statue.

Wilhelm: “We have a beautiful educator statue, which the whole town and a teacher here in town who has cancer presently, she wanted to get something special for all the teachers touched by cancer, so she got together with the school and all of her past students and they donated and donated.”

 

Another is donated by a softball team for their coach and others husbands, mothers and sisters.

Wilhelm: “We have many little beds all scattered around. The little tricycle is going to be coming down the hill like it’s moving down the path really fast. We have several beds without a statue. It’s going to be nestled in the little beds, so it fits perfectly. Many of the statues will go into the cancer bed that is representing a certain cancer. We have many little spots that bring life to the bed. We have thousands of people coming to our garden just to see the statues. It’s actually called Angels in God’s Garden.”

She said one statue is for a child who is now a 10-year cancer survivor.