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Rock Garden – Really Rad

The Children’s Miracle Garden in Mansura, LA was recently completed and dedicated on May 21, 2018 through the hard work of 7th and 8th grade students and staff at Avoyelles Public Charter School (APCS).

APCS’s principal, Julie Roy, students, School Based Health Center staff, Donna Lacour, Beth LaBorde, Chelsey Bowman, Allison Pospisil & Jo Ann Derbonne (Director) and CHRISTUS Cabrini Foundation/CMN Department staff recently attended the ribbon cutting and tour of the garden.

APCS has been serving k – 12 students in Mansura, Louisiana for 18 years and is fully supportive of the charitable health care that CHRISTUS Cabrini Hospital provides their school on a daily basis through Children’s Miracle Network dollars.  APCS has created the Children’s Miracle Garden as a unique and student engaged way to financially sustain their health center and keep it open in their school.

School Based Health Centers (SBHC) have been strategically placed in rural areas which have lower income rates.  Students who benefit from CHRISTUS Cabrini’s CMN funded SBHCs miss less school while their parents take fewer hours off of work.    From shots, to immunizations, to diabetes diagnosis, to mental health counseling – these health centers are invaluable to communities such as Mansura.

Now students at APCS can enjoy giving back to their SBHC through painting a rock for $1 or more CMN donation.  100% of the funds go straight back to their health center.

The hope of the SBHC staff is that in time former students will come back to the school and enjoy showing their kids their original painted rock once their children start school.  The Miracle Garden is a gift that will touch generations of students to come and is indicative of the culture and color of the beautiful people of Avoyelles Parish.