Horticultural students graduate from ‘Branches to Chances’ program in Delaware

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After getting laid off from work, Rashad Dickinson struggled to get a new job. The Wilmington resident said he became frustrated after receiving frequent rejection letters almost immediately after submitting applications.

After hearing about an opportunity to learn landscaping skills, the 35-year-old decided to take a chance on something different.

This week, Dickinson was one of six people who graduated from the Delaware Center for Horticulture’s Branches to Chances workforce development program.

The nine-week program, which has been around since 2009, offers hands-on learning in the fields of horticulture, landscaping and forestry to adults recovering from drug addiction, people who have been incarcerated and other residents experiencing unemployment like Dickinson.

“I feel a lot more free mentally and spiritually, being able to help the environment and also seeing your creation when you grow something is very satisfying,” Dickinson said. “To be finished and see the fruits of everything that you finished is an incredible feeling. You feel very accomplished, and it’s something that you can always look back on.”

Students learn how to identify various plants, prune trees, landscape and manage gardens. The program also offers students money management and job interviewing skills, as well as group therapy. Bonnie Swan, a program coordinator, said it’s rewarding to witness the students’ progress not only in the garden, but in life.

“We see them evolve as individuals,” she said. “Some people who are so closed down and shy, they can’t talk with each other, who by the end of the program are laughing, joking and joining in.”

Damon Johnson, one of this week’s graduates, said he had never planted a flower before joining Branches to Chances. Now, the 23-year-old Wilmington resident wants to grow fruits and vegetables in his own garden.

“I feel amazing. I feel like it’s meditation for me. Every day I wake up happy, motivated to come to work and to make sure that the job is done,” Johnson said. “I feel a change in myself. Everyone that’s been around me sees a change inside of me, and it just feels great to be doing something for myself for once.”

Graduating from the program can lead to job offers at landscaping firms or lawn companies. Dickinson and Johnson have been hired as seasonal employees in the landscaping division at the Delaware Center for Horticulture.

Several people who have graduated from the program over the years currently own lawn care businesses, said Bob Harris, a program coordinator and 2010 graduate.

“Nine weeks isn’t long, but they always leave in a lot better shape than they came in with,” he said. “Graduation is always a wonderful thing because a lot of the guys that graduate, they say that they’ve never completed anything before, and they get a certificate and they have that proud moment in front of their families.”