A long-held dream of creating a painted rock garden at Karmanos Cancer Institute has finally come to life, thanks to the hard work of an Eagle Scout candidate from Troop 1795 in Southgate. The project, completed in November, marked the completion of years of planning and a shared vision for the entrance to the main Karmanos location in Detroit.
The rock garden has been on the wish list of several Karmanos team members, including Clara Beaver DNP, RN, AOCNS, ACNS, BC, manager of Clinical Education and clinical nurse specialist at Karmanos. Inspired by a similar garden in Bay City, this idea was first discussed with the art therapy department, with a few painted rocks being used as a starting point.
“A painted rock garden has been a dream of mine for the cancer center for about six or so years,” said Beaver. “We’ve been talking about it for years and even had rocks painted, but we were never able to make it happen.”
The garden started to become a reality this fall when Jonathan, a Riverview Community High School senior, was searching for an Eagle Scout project. His mother, a friend of Beaver’s, mentioned the rock garden to him as a potential Eagle Scout project after chatting with Beaver. He loved the idea and got right to work making it happen.
In total, four scouts and seven leaders worked on this project, which was installed on a Sunday. Together, they helped create a vibrant outdoor space that far exceeded the team’s expectations.
Containing well over 100 stones, this rock garden serves as a nice visual piece for the entrance and, more importantly, a symbol of hope and happiness for cancer patients. Each stone is a reminder that nobody is in this fight alone and they have a caring community alongside them.
“This project not only beautifies the cancer center but also provides some hope and cheerfulness to the patients. The scouts took a somewhat bland space and added color and hope to it,” said Beaver. “I feel that the cancer patients appreciate when the community takes time to brighten their day.”