"Love Your Block" Grant Beautifies Our Backyard in Hartford

​When CTLCV and the CTLCV Education Fund moved offices in 2024, it was only a few miles down the road, but settling into the heart of downtown Hartford reminded us how important community is to our work. As a statewide organization, we don’t often get to focus on one small local place.

For Earth Day, our team decided to give back to our neighborhood with a litter cleanup at the skatepark behind our office. During that time, we noticed that Wexford Park, just across the street, could use a little attention too.

CTLCV Education Fund applied for funding to give Wexford Park a refresh with a new pollinator garden. The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving & the City of Hartford supported the idea and funded the project through the Love Your Block grant program. As we worked with local experts on native plants and garden design, we learned that the City of Hartford was also planning a project to move a monument from the skatepark to Wexford Park. You can read more about that in this Hartford Courant article. 

With help from the City of Hartford & the non-profit KNOX in preparing the site, CTLCV staff planted several thousand native plants, from grasses to flowering perennials. “It was rewarding to see the space take shape,” said CTLCV President, Mike Urgo. “The garden adds some life and color to the park, and it’s nice to know we could play a small part in improving our neighborhood.”

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