You know how you feel when a project comes together. When you see all the interested parties winning, it warms your heart to meet each of their needs. That’s what happened with the Donate-A-Bench program here at The Shores of Long Bayou Condominiums. It took initiative and vision to start, and once it started, it took off like wildfire.
To set the scene, we live in a 77-acre condominium community in St. Pete, with about half of the acreage devoted to a nature reserve. The Shores of Long Bayou allow the residents of nearby communities (Long Bayou, The Palms and The Villas at Long Bayou) to enjoy our lakes, ponds and nature trail. Most of the residents are mature, and love to spend time watching the ducks, herons, ospreys, turtles and alligators. Folks love to watch the tilapia build their nests, the blue crabs do their sideways dance, the common moorhens feeding their little balls-of-fluff babies. It’s Florida wildlife viewing at its finest!
How it All Began
The project started with one resident who spent countless hours sitting on a refurbished park bench alongside a stormwater pond. When he passed away, his son approached the community’s Wetlands Committee saying, “I would like to donate a proper park bench in memory of my father.”
Wooden and metal benches (and the mature residents) don’t always weather well over long periods of time. The first key move was to search was for an affordable bench that would be environmentally friendly, withstand the heat and sunlight in Florida, and offer a place of comfortable, quiet enjoyment. We selected a durable, recycled plastic park bench that would withstand the rigors of time.
It could have stopped there, but then we heard about a lady who was wondering how she could honor her husband, who had been the overseer of our green space for many years. Our reaction was, “Wow, another bench!” We liked the idea so much that we each donated another bench. The program had begun.
Community Benefits
Before we knew it, by word of mouth, eight new benches were donated to the community, even before it was sanctioned by the Homeowners Association. The benches are all identical, giving the community a uniform look.
In the past, the Wetlands Committee had spent numerous hours rejuvenating various discarded benches. It had become a burden on the volunteers to sand the wood and metal before applying new paint every year. Now, we have maintenance-free benches that enhance the appearance of our community, replacing the “yard-sale” assortment of benches in various stage of repair.
Today, as folks stroll through our nature reserve, they are reminded of some of the people they know or knew. We hear heartwarming comments like, “I sat on Dewey’s bench today,” or, “Just sitting there made me think of Rick.”
What makes the Donate-A-Bench program special? The homeowners are the ones in charge. There is no cost to the Homeowners Association, and anyone can donate a bench to memorialize a loved one or to create their own legacy. The cost of the bench includes a plaque indicating if the bench is a memorial or a donation. The Wetlands Committee assembles the benches and helps with the preferred placement and anchoring of each bench.
To learn more about this program, please visit http://www.theshoresoflongbayou.org/bench.html.
