LOCAL BUSINESSES COME TOGETHER TO PROVIDE NEW MILFORD HIGH SCHOOL WITH A MEMORIAL HEALING GARDEN
New Milford Students Receive Memorial Healing Garden and Education Center to Remember Peers Lost To Tragedy or Illness
New Milford, NJ. June 2009 – New Milford High School is the recipient of a wonderful and continuously giving gift from two of the community’s most dedicated businesses: Premium Aquascapes and Kodiak Tree Experts. It is their generous collaboration that brings a serene environment to New Milford High School with the installation of the new Memorial Healing Garden and Educational Center.
The school’s tranquil new 12’ Pondless Waterfall serves as a space for healing meditation and remembrance for students who have been lost due to tragedy or illness. The idea for the student’s healing garden came from a personal loss suffered by Peter Van Westervelt, President of Premium Aquascapes. As Pieter shares his loss, it is easy to see his sense of compassion that is encompassed in this Healing Garden and all it has to give. “My Mother’s battle with Cancer was an emotionally draining and difficult time for me. One day, Debra Cianfrone, President of Kodiak Tree Experts and I were discussing this time of my life and I remembered how sitting by the waterfall and letting myself be carried away by the soothing sounds of the water was sometimes the only thing that would help me through the day. My Water Garden was my sanctuary, and we wanted to offer that same sense of relief to others who were going through troubling times”.
Pieter and Debra have teamed up to bring this natural ecosystem to the New Milford High School for the student’s to enjoy. However, this is only the beginning of what they hope will be a natural and environmentally responsible future for New Jersey.
