Living at Heritage Hills, Somers NY

09/04/2023

"Dreams don't work unless you do." ~ John C. Maxwell

Happy Labor Day!

"I learned the value of hard work by working hard."

- Margaret Mead

05/29/2023

Remember and honor.

We remember and honor our heroes.

03/08/2023

Happy International Women’s Day!

Today, not just on International Women's Day, but *every* day, we celebrate the achievements of women, past & present.

02/06/2023

Asla umudunuzu kaybetmeyin.

An unimaginable and horrific tragedy in Turkey and Syria. Far too many lives lost.

We implore everyone to help however they can.

12/25/2022

Merry Christmas!

Our very best to all of you on Christmas!

Photo credit: Jackie Chew

12/24/2022

Freedom Gardens is a community for the disabled.

They could use our help.

Happy Holidays!

Dear Friends of Freedom Gardens,

Wishing you holiday cheer and a happy and healthy new year!

If you would like to contribute to our mission of providing safe, secure, reasonably priced housing for folks with disabilities, we our kicking off our fundraising driving starting today until the end of the year.

Kevin Held - Freedom Gardens Board of Directors

09/11/2022

We remember all those lives lost and all those who ran to the frontlines.

#911

07/04/2022

Happy July 4th!

Happy 4th of July!

12/24/2021

My family helps to run a community for the disabled, Freedom Gardens. If you're looking for a worthy cause to support over the holidays, please consider this. Thank you.

08/10/2021

I'm so very proud of my family, and of the ways they try to help others and make the world a little bit better.

Please support Freedom Gardens.

12/22/2020

Freedom Gardens is a community specifically meant for the disabled. Volunteers are depended upon for its upkeep.

If you can spare a few bucks this Holiday Season, this would be a great cause.

Dear Friends of Freedom Gardens,

With 2020 thankfully coming to an end and signs of hope that it will usher in a better new year and a gradual return to normalcy, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year and also to reflect upon some things I've learned this year.

You see, one of the things that I remember growing up, was my father always going over to Freedom Gardens. He was a Board member and Treasurer from the early 80s up until his passing in 2018.

I'm not sure I knew exactly what he did there, but I knew that he was doing a good thing.

By the time I joined the Board in 2018, I had a much better understanding of the organization, and having taken on the role of co-treasurer, I became familiar with all the ins and outs of the balance sheet, expenses, and revenue sources.

Yet I still wasn't sure I could clearly explain to others what Freedom Gardens meant. That might sound a bit odd seeing that I often quote our mission of providing reasonably-priced, wheelchair-accessible, private apartment units in a residential setting (not an institution).

Our promotional material further describes founder and first resident Lilian Petock Crowley's dream back in 1958 of setting up a "real home".

I suppose it was really that I wanted to be able to better explain why what we were doing was so important or more more precisely, what the most important part was.

Well, this year I finally figured it all out, It's all about community,

We like to talk about Freedom Gardens being a small community. But a community is all about social interactions; the Freedom Garden's Day picnic, Pot Luck Dinners, Holiday Parties, neighbors getting together with one another.

It's about all of those things we had to cancel this year as a result of COVID-19.

That's when I finally understood what Lilian meant by a "real home". Don't get me wrong; making sure the bills get paid and the books stay balanced is an important part of what we do, and so is keeping expenses down.

But what's most important is the environment that this creates that allows a community to thrive. Unfortunately, in 2020, being forced to isolate, we couldn't enjoy our community.

So as 2021 nears, I'm entering with a newfound appreciation for our mission and a renewed focus on how best to achieve it.

Throughout the year I plan on posting regular updates on our progress on projects in the works and future improvements. So please stay tuned.

In the meantime, I wish you all a Happy and Healthy 2021, and if you're able, please click on the donate button below, as we can always use your support.

Sincerely,

Kevin Held - Board of Directors