A year-long monthly series of workshops sponsored by the MSU Extension is free to Master Gardeners . Earn education hours with the hour long online Zoom programs. You only need to register once for the whole series. A link to the program will be sent to you each month. You will also receive the links for viewing the recorded programs at your convenience. You must register. Register here

Phimmasone Owens of the University of Michigan and Founder of Refugee Garden Initiatives presents Cultivating Connection: Refugee Stories and the Transformative Power of Gardening.

Gardeners understand the deep connection between tending the land and nurturing the soul. In this presentation, Phimmasone will share her journey as a refugee and how the upheaval of displacement led her to create Refugee Garden Initiatives (RGI). Phimmasone will explore how reconnecting to the land provides healing, fosters resilience, and rebuilds a sense of home for refugees who have lost so much. Together, we’ll reflect on how gardening can be more than a hobby—it can be a bridge that brings people and cultures together, fostering understanding and cultivating community one seed at a time.