Saturday, May 9, 2009

Elizabeth Kates Day 2009

We, poppi's extened family (minus Sherill - ☹), caravan'ed it down to Goochland Virginia to go to the Elizabeth Kates Day Plant Sale at the Virginia Correctional Center for Women. We lovingly refer to it as Prison Day.

The trip:
we left my house at 10am and then stopped in at the Torpedo Factory to pick up the Virgina poppigirls and Suzanne (an amazing woman who works at the Art League School with Tiffany) and my friends Tracey and Wifey. Anyway, we loaded into two cars and a borrowed van from the Art League and scooted off down 95 towards Richmond.
Stopped off to get some food and gas around fredricksburg. Here is a shot of the Art League's van with a plastic bag caught in its back tire. the gas station equivalent of have TP on your shoe... Aww..Art League Van.... why you gotta embarrass us like that?

Like I said, we stopped for lunch...and then went to Prison. Now, "prison" conjures up a certain image. The VCCW is not like that AT ALL.
No real "gate" per say, and not a lot of bars or fences or barbed wire. It looks like a college campus in a small town.


seriously, this is the prison.
Anyway, cameras were not allowed, so no pictures of the crazy greenhouse or the incredible plant selection or of the annual membership dinner that followed, but, needless to say...it was great!
here are some pictures of when we got back to unload /divide up the day's purchases...


here are some of the plants I bought -- I need to plant them tomorrow -if it doesn't rain...

do you believe that this fuchsia was only $7.50?!

About Elizabeth Kates Foundation:
this is an organization that educates and mentors women in the Correctional System. They provide scholarships, work programs (horticultural and vocational) and support enabling women to really turn their lives around. Women who go through their program have ZERO percent of recidivism. CRAZY!!! they've been doing this since the 60's, I think. There is not a lot in information online about them - they are still stuck in the 60's. I think I need to donate a website to them. any body want to help? (I've got NO web skills). Will trade jewelry....just putting it out there

2 comments:

marissa said...

i love love love prison day

Paula said...

Hi,
I moved to Richmond from NOVA a few years ago and found out about "Kate's Day" from the Richmond Newcomer's Club. It's the best kept "secret" ever. I don't miss it. You might have seen me in the bright purple raincoat (looking like Barney):-0? I'd be glad to help with the website, because you're right, there's nothing about it online.