This fall, the Shands Cancer Center at UF will grow greener with the addition of a memorial garden for cancer victims.
The Garden of Hope will be a place for patients, their friends, families and the public to relax, said Ted Kruljac, Shands HealthCare office development associate.
"The idea is for people to have that escape. You have patients who have been going through treatment and need that time to reflect, meditate and experience the spiritual side of healing," he said.
The garden will be a lush, green space on the southeast grounds of the cancer hospital, according to Ellen Shapiro, a member of the Garden of Hope Marketing Committee.
"It's a garden for the whole community," she said. " really hoping the community will use it."
The garden will feature a memorial wall with plaques displaying the names of cancer victims, commemorative trees and benches, a butterfly garden, an amphitheater and a pond, Shapiro said.
The garden's cost is estimated at $250,000, Shapiro said. Developers hope the cost will be covered by donors who purchase plaques for the memorial wall, commemorative benches and trees.
The garden fund has grown to more than $90,000, mostly from fundraisers called garden parties, that have taken place since spring of 2008.
For information on hosting a garden party, contact Heather Gavan at 352-265-7237 or gavanh@shands.ufl.edu.
To host a virtual garden party, go to Shandsgiving.org.
