I was fortunate to be able to join the Nature Connection as a volunteer and saw first hand the way it brought nature into places where people could not get outside and experience it there. It was very clear to me that when I participated in this process how welcomed the team was and how the people served benefited.
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They are simply amazing! Our elderly participants at the day center look forward to seeing them 2x per month. The participants love the education and listening to the volunteer talk about nature. It brightens there day to actually have Nature's Connection come in with a variety of plants, animals and seeds it allows our participants to reminisce of the childhood and the countries they come from. Since they all live in the city the don't have the opportunity of seeing nature up close. Thank you to the staff and volunteers for understanding the needs of the center participants and bringing nature to them it always brightens their day! Nature's connection staff are wonderful caring individuals we cannot say enough about them!
“The goal of life is to make your heart beat match the beat of the universe — to match your nature with nature,” says Joseph Campbell.
I've the privilege of volunteering with the Nature Connection for the last decade and I know that what Nature Connection does makes a difference; the joy of sharing something as simple as a stone, as elegant as a flower, or is grand as the ocean is beyond measure. As the French scholar Blaise Pascal said “the entire ocean is affected by a pebble.“
It is my duty, joy and responsibility to help those in need synchronize their heart beats with the universe so they, too, can feel the harmony of matching their nature with nature. The Nature Connection does this essential work one child, one adolescent, one adult and one heartbeat at a time.
The Nature Connection completely changed how I understand and practice social work. As a graduate MSW student intern, I felt like I made a huge impact. I worked with many residential populations and made connections with both clients and site staff in tons of different situations. We brought nature to the people...and nature did the rest. The stories I heard were part of the healing sparked by moments with animals and plants and incredible QOL increases for residents. Both mind-blowing. I was proud of the work I got to do with them and I'll be volunteering in the future any chance I get!
In addition to being on the Board of The Nature Connection, for the past 5 years I have volunteered with adults in memory care, and have seen first hand the joy that nature brings. Often just the smell of a flower or the touch of a small animal, can spark distant memories from the residents' past. One spring I had been showing a bright yellow dandelion, and saying how its name comes from the French, "dents de lion" (lion's teeth), because of the shape of its leaves. Right away, one of the women began speaking in French ~ something that no one on the staff had ever heard her do, and probably something she had not done in years. That memory was triggered by sharing a bit of nature.
The Nature Connection often touches people in unexpected wonderful ways.
I had the pleasure of doing some grant work with The Nature Connection, and I love working with the team, learning about their work, and how they impact communities throughout Boston. As a full-time therapist, I am consistently struck by the power of their programming and the folks who benefit from this organization's mission and vision - connecting people to nature is one of the main goals of The Nature Connection, and I firmly believe this is part of the future of innovative mental health programming! Best non-profit!!
Did my first year internship with Nature Connection. I am a grad student at Lesley University. It was one of the best experiences I have ever had. I loved every minute of the time I got to spend in the community across the demographics.
This organization brings nature to people who would otherwise not experience it - the elderly, the disabled and at-risk youth are three of the main groups they serve. It's inspirational to see the difference that an encounter with nature can have on people. This is a small, local organization that makes a big impact.