In August 2004 the Santee Lions undertook a project at the Santee Lakes to provide another Community Awareness project in which we would raise money through pancake breakfasts and other means of fundraising to build a at Lake 4. A sensory garden is a garden which contains flowers and herbs that are fragrant and that are safe for a blind person to touch and smell and then read on a braille plaque what they have experienced.
After six plus years of raising money the Lions were able to start construction of the garden in November of 2010 with the goal of presenting it to the community on December 24 as a Christmas gift to the sight impaired and blind of Sand Diego County. But Mother Nature delayed our completion of the garden due to the wet winter we had so we dedicated the garden in April of 2011. The total cost of the garden was just over $ 84,000.
The lions were happy to provide this project for the benefit of the sight impaired and blind people.
We now have a problem with the garden however.
In July we were notified by the personnel that our braille signs had been removed from the garden and just thrown around the area. We spent some time finding a material that would make it more difficult to remove the plaques and believe we have finally found that material.
On August 10 we were again called by the Lakes maintenance personnel and asked if we had removed any plants from the garden and of course our answer was no. On investigation we found that several plants had been removed from the garden.
So now we have to wonder if some of the people of Santee are intentionally trying to cause us to determine that it is just not financially feasible to try and keep the garden for the benefit of the citizens of our community.
We would appreciate any information the public may have about the vandalism taking place at the Sensory Garden.
We continue to raise money for the garden by selling memorial pavers which can be used to honour a deceased loved one or to honour a living person. This is done by sand blasting that person’s name in a stone that is placed in the walkway at the garden. The cost of the pavers is $500.
Call Ike Enzenauer at 619 443-3510 with any information about the vandalism or to learn more about the memorial pavers.
A. D. Ike Enzenauer
Project Coordinator
