Emily “Ema” Beeler, a junior at Carmel High School with diverse interests, pulled together aspects from her many activities to complete her Girl Scout Gold Award project. The capstone project required that she identify a community need, as well as organize and manage the people, funding and communication necessary to fulfill it. Case Design/Remodeling Indy is one of a number of partners who are proud to have been a part of Ema’s vision.
Through her work with Carmel Clay School Green Team and Plots to Plates Organic Community Garden, Ema found that the Garden needed a community gathering space. After securing grants from United Way Youth as Resources and Youth Service America, she approached CaseIndy to help her design and specify materials for a 15” x 20” stage and adjacent seating area. “Two members of our team led Ema through the design and material choices she had to consider, and helped her formulate the final design,” said Larry Greene, owner of CaseIndy. “She is an ambitious and enterprising young woman, and we were happy to help her better the Carmel community.” CaseIndy provided final design drawings, and a materials specification list for the project.
Ema organized a group of over 30 friends and family to help her build the stage over a few weekends this spring. She also enlisted the kids of Plots to Plates gardeners and Carmel Clay schools to decorate the tiles to be installed on the sides of the stage. The final phase of the project was to build benches for seating, which Ema recruited local teens to complete.
“By involving youths and teens, this project allows us to leave a lasting impression in the community- not only through the stage and benches but also in a more personal way, through the artwork on the tiles,” says Ema Beeler. “This project also brings attention to the organic community garden in this area, which highlights the benefits of locally grown organic produce and will provide healthy food, educational opportunities and physical activity to the youth.”
The public can see the new installation at the Plots to Plates Organic Community Garden behind Carmel Middle School.
