Sausalito, CA: Novato resident, Jonathan Parkhurst, brought to the attention of friend and Chairman of CityLeaf, Inc., Rich Bronstein, a long-time resident of Marin County, the opportunity to do some good for the Bayside MLK school in the Sausalito Marin City School district.
The school expressed interest in getting some indoor greenery for the students. “Cameron Taylor our M&O director connected me with Mr. Parkhurst, and in our initial meeting the opportunity came up to get some indoor plants donated to our school from CityLeaf” said Superintendent Itoco Garcia. “The conditions that we must operate under to make school as safe as possible during this global pandemic, as well as the generational and acute trauma that many of our students and families overcome daily, made this donation incredibly impactful. We know that indoor plants make air cleaner, a critical factor for safe operations, furthermore indoor plants help raise humidity indoors further reducing the chances of transmitting cold and flu. The health benefits of indoor plants extend to the social and emotional well being of students and staff, another critical factor during these stressful times. Indoor plants support students and staff to focus, potentially supporting increases in academic performance. CityLeaf staff came and did a facilities walk with us and we identified all the spaces where plants would enhance the indoor spaces of our school. They did a full design and showed up with a truckload of mature plants, beautifully potted and placed them in all the spaces we mapped out. The response from staff and students (yes we have students back at school in three different summer programs) was immediate. Staff remarked that they felt lighter and more excited to be at work. Students stated that they felt calmer being in the building, and more than a few parents stopped us the next day and thanked us for the change in the environment marveling that the school looked like a private school. You can feel the difference as soon as you walk in the building. The community was so excited that several residents requested indoor plants for residents of Marin City. CityLeaf graciously donated two more truckloads of indoor plants to Marin City residents that were picked up curbside using the model we built out for food distribution. This partnership is a fine example of our community school model extending the health and well being benefits far beyond the walls of the school and into the community.”
“We saw the opportunity to do our small part to support our community and a local school that faced its own challenges historically. CityLeaf’s mission is leading the way in growing a healthier, happier and more productive workforce through plants. This was a great opportunity to expand that mission to ALL people not just our corporate customers and we are grateful for the opportunity to have an impact” said Rich Bronstein, Chairman of CityLeaf, Inc.
CityLeaf is donating in excess of $10,000 of indoor plants and containers that will be placed throughout the Bayside MLK school, sometime in July, in preparation for the school’s re-opening in the fall.
About Bayside MLK: BMLK serves 115 predominantly low income Black & Latinx students in the historically black community of Marin City CA. It is a small but thriving school that has made some important gains in African American student achievement and school culture and climate over the past few years. The school is at the heart of the first desegregation order in the State of California in the past 50 years.
About CityLeaf, Inc.: Based in Richmond, California, Cityleaf is a leading indoor greenery designer and landscaper throughout the Bay Area. Our mission is to lead the way in growing a healthier, happier and more productive workforce for all — through plants! More information can be found at cityleaf.com or on Instagram, instagram.com/cityleafsf/.
