Cleveland Central Promise Neighborhood gets new garden at Marion-Sterling Elementary School

Thursday, October 23, 2025

Tags: Promise Neighborhood , Outreach

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Thanks to supportive community members, a brand-new garden for the Cleveland Central Promise Neighborhood is in the works at Marion-Sterling Elementary School on Central Avenue and East 30th Street. The garden – which was relocated from East 76th Street and Cedar Avenue – will be incorporated into classroom lessons, after-school activities and eventually, summer programming.

Helping make the ambitious project a reality was Shook Construction, particularly President & CEO Chris Halapy, Vice President, Great Lakes General Manager Matthew Danis and Project Manager – Water Resources Adam Wiebe. From relocating materials, including a massive storage unit, from the garden’s former site, to reassembling three hoop houses, and donating mulch, topsoil and planter beds and other necessary garden items, to providing the manpower needed to build it all, Shook Construction has been a valuable partner. Thank you to Shook Construction for stepping up and being a true champion for the children of Cleveland’s Central neighborhood.

Leadership Cleveland and Cleveland Leadership Center volunteers have also been instrumental in getting the garden up and running; thank you for lending a hand. Marion-Sterling students can’t wait to get started!

Historically, the original garden provided a work opportunity for local teens, valuable life lessons and a chance to reconnect to the land, while bringing healthy, pesticide-free produce to the heart of the city.