Garden beds built to benefit seniors in the Metro
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - Oklahoma Gas and Electric Company (OG&E) is working with OKC Beautiful and RSVP of Central Oklahoma to install garden beds at the Garden Oaks Community Center and Spencer Senior Center this week.
The Spencer Senior Center, which was founded in 1985, has operated as a community and event area for residents of Spencer, while the Garden Oaks Community Center opened in 2024, with their goal of providing resources for promoting community development.
These gardens will benefit the seniors by providing an area for them to enjoy the outdoors and work outside during the summer season. They will also have the opportunity to grow food for the community.
OG&E, OKC Beautiful, and RSVP of Central Oklahoma partnered together to provide garden beds for the Garden Oaks Community Center and Spencer Senior Center. Images courtesy, The Gooden Group.
Volunteers from the OG&E Mustang Energy Center donated, built, and installed the gardens at the Spencer Senior Centers, which is a particularly prompt donation, as their community is also celebrating their 40th anniversary of the facility's opening.
“We are so grateful to receive these new garden beds for our older adults,” said Cecilia Taft, City of Spencer Clerk. “These beds will empower people who are aging by encouraging gentle physical movement, bolstering social interaction, and allowing them to safely spend time outdoors.”
These garden beds are accessible for people in wheelchairs and walkers, allowing older adults, no matter their physical capabilities, to enjoy gardening. Seniors are thrilled to grow herbs, tomatoes, squash, flowers, and many more in their new gardening beds.
“OG&E has planted seeds of solidarity into the soil of Garden Oaks,” said Brandon Denton, Executive Director of Alpha Community Foundation. “This is more than a project — it’s the beginning of a harvest of hope. This garden will be a space where we not only grow food, but also grow our people together, in collaboration with organizations that align with our vision. We are going to improve health outcomes and water food deserts, starting with a garden in Garden Oaks.”
Following ribbon-cutting ceremonies, local seniors and volunteers from the community, as well as partner organizations, began planting vegetables, flowers, herbs, and more in their new gardens.
“We are proud to partner with organizations like OG&E and RSVP of Central Oklahoma that help us invest in our community through environmental stewardship and beautification,” said Lauren Nixon, program coordinator at OKC Beautiful. “We are grateful to help provide this center with a unique opportunity that creates a lasting impact.”