Young volunteers begin prepping flower farm in Garfield Park

Vacant lots have long been eye sores in the city, but a local organization is trying to change that, recruiting help from volunteers to transform them.

The initiative is bringing much-needed growth and opportunity to the Garfield Park neighborhood where one long overdue makeover took place.

"Providing a pop of color [to] this once void place that you've walked by a thousand times might trigger something," said Ruben Nicolaescu, of Southside Blooms.

Whether it triggers a smile or a glimmer of hope, it's part of the mission for the team at Southside Blooms, an Englewood-based nonprofit focused on empowering youth through farming.

The organization broke ground at a vacant lot in Garfield Park on Thursday, for what is just the first phase of a transformation. They aim for the site to become a sustainable flower farm soon.

"They want to beautify space that is normally overlooked and, you know, underutilized," Nicolaescu said.

It will be the sixth urban flower farm for the nonprofit, where they first plant flowers, then after months of TLC, those flowers are brought to their shop and then sold.

Southside Blooms lean on local youth at risk of gang and gun violence. The nonprofit provides them with a meaningful opportunity to learn, work. and grow.

"A lot of people don't give back to the community like they should," said Sir Jayden Addison, a volunteer. "This is actually a good way to give back and that's one of the great things [about this]."

Nicolaescu added, "I want them to walk away with a sense of value. Value was added, and value was taken from the experience and then value willl perpetuate so because of that."

As volunteers complete their full day or work at the future flower farm, they're going to come back for weekly maintenance and a full garden expected to sprout up by the beginning of spring.