News
July 19, 2022Wellspring Ribbon Cutting for New Healing Garden
Wellspring, Saratoga’s domestic violence and sexual assault services agency, officially opened their new healing garden at their facility in Malta on Tuesday, July 12th. Wellspring created the new outdoor space to provide peace and healing for clients, staff, and community members.
This will be a space where those impacted by domestic violence and sexual assault can come to breathe and heal, where Wellspring staff members can take a break after a heavy counseling session, and the community can come for a variety of interactive outdoor programs.
“This garden and outdoor space, like Wellspring, is a place for people to heal, find safety, and start a new future,” said Wellspring’s executive director, Maggie Fronk, to a crowd of 50 gathered for the ribbon cutting.
Saratoga Springs mayor Ron Kim, NY State Senator Jim Tedisco, Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner, and members of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce were in attendance, as well as Ellen Sax, Vice President of Community Engagement at MVP Healthcare, who helped fund the garden’s construction. Attendees also included members of the Capital Region Chamber, the Malta Business Community Alliance committee, and the Ballston Spa Business & Professional Association.
Members of staff from MLB Construction, who donated and constructed the garden’s gazebo, as well as staff from Brookside Nursery, who provided the space’s preliminary design and all of the garden’s landscaping, plants, and flowers, attended the event.
Wellspring thanked Rebuilding Together Saratoga for volunteering to assemble the garden’s benches and build the garden’s storage shed. Wellspring also acknowledged the contributions of volunteers from NSA Saratoga Springs, NPTU Ballston Spa, the Naval Branch Health Clinic of Saratoga Springs, MVP Healthcare, and Ayco Goldman Sachs, all of whom attended Wellspring’s inaugural Volunteer Day in June to help prepare for the garden’s grand opening.
In addition to the gazebo and benches, the garden features a variety of different plants and flowers in all shapes, sizes, and colors. The space is free and open to all community members during Wellspring’s business hours.
About Wellspring
Wellspring is the domestic violence and sexual assault services resource for Saratoga County residents and the sexual assault resource for Washington County. Wellspring’s mission is to support survivors and engage the community to end relationship and sexual abuse. Wellspring provides emergency shelter, a 24-hour phone hotline, counseling, legal advocacy, housing assistance, innovative programs, and more. All services are free, non-judgmental, and confidential.
Wellspring believes that increasing awareness will help prevent abuse from happening in the future. Wellspring provides educational programs for youth, law enforcement, educators, health care workers, high school and college students, local businesses, parents, professional organizations, and more.
More information about Wellspring’s mission, services, and programs is available online at www.wellspringcares.org or by calling 518-583-0280.
