by Yolanda Provoste-Fuentes Someone once said that every child needs a village to grow up emotionally healthy. One such village is the group of mothers of El Patio de mi Casa, a program of Live Oak Community Resources who are also the Community Gardens Leaders at Chanticleer Park. Santa Cruz has some of the highest rent of cities across this country; many families in the county live in very tight spaces. Parks give us space, beauty, and the outdoors that we all need to relax and maintain good physical and mental health. These mothers have watched their children grow up in Chanticleer Park, running, playing happily, watering the plants in the garden, sitting down to eat, celebrating birthdays, and celebrating life outdoors. The El Patio Group is waiting with much anticipation for Leo's Haven at Chanticleer Park to open, so we can run, play outdoors and enjoy our garden again for years to come.
