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More than 30 years ago Larry Neeb had an idea. He thought he could help bring the joy of gardening to a group of children who might not otherwise have had the chance to experience it, and provide them with a Mother's Day gift for their mothers as well.
Through a bit of detective work and a lot of arm-twisting, Larry found a local bulb company that could supply 300 lily bulbs that would be ready to bloom in six weeks. A local farmer was talked into providing soil and pots. The Kiwanis Club voted to fund the project and Larry's Bulb Project was born.
With a few other members in tow, Larry toted the supplies to what was then called the CP Center in Goshen. He delivered them to the classrooms, stopping to help with the planting when he could.
Each year, Larry ordered the bulbs, gathered the supplies and, with a few Kiwanians, visited the school, which grew into Inspire Kids. The children at Inspire Kids experience a variety of developmental delays or challenges, and receive special education and supportive therapies and services according to an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP).
This year the Kiwanis Club of Chester was faced with carrying on the Bulb Project without Larry, who passed away this winter. Kiwanis members stepped up to lead the project and found that Larry had already placed the order for the bulbs. A former member was ready to provide the pots and soil as he had done for many years. A group of Kiwanians was ready to help carry on in Larry's memory.
On March 26 the children of Inspire Kids planted oxalis bulbs, tucking them into the potting soil in their little pots, adding water and smiles to make them grow. In six weeks they will take blooming plants home to their mothers for Mother's Day. Somewhere Larry Neeb is smiling and the friends he inspired at the Kiwanis Club of Chester are making plans for next year's bulb project, because it's the one way they can be sure that Larry will live on.
(Posted March 28, 2015)
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