Wilmington garden proves to be ray of hope for neighborhood

A local flower garden in Wilmington continues to be a bright spot for the Hedgevile community.

What started as an effort to beautify Hedgeville more than a decade ago is now a tradition that involves local children and religious leaders.

On Tuesday, Jewish, Protestant, Catholic and Moorish religious officials came together and blessed the Hedgeville Children’s Community Garden. It was the first time the annual summer blessing included various religious leaders.

Nicky DeAngelo believes prayer is the reason why flowers continue to blossom and brighten up the rough neighborhood.

“Look at the the garden, it’s an example of what prayer will do,” DeAngelo said.

According to DeAngelo she recently ran into a man who said he once started a small garden that was destroyed in that very neighborhood.

“This garden is a blessing to the Hedgeville community because it was established by the children. What it does is gives them ownership of something very positive in their own community,” said Wilmington Councilwoman Sherry Dorsey Walker, who helped with the garden blessing.

Each year about twenty children come out to work on the garden located at the corner of Elm and S. Jackson Streets. The goal in the near future is to have the children work on something new.

“I would envision across the street at the Boys and Girls Club, maybe a vegetable garden, that would be nice,” added DeAngelo.