Volunteers are the motivators that help organizations manifest their missions into actions. For Norris Square Neighborhood Project, our volunteers are central to operating our gardens as spaces for neighbors to gather and learn – enriching our gardens’ potential to engage the neighborhood in forming meaningful connections between friends and the land. Many in our community go above and beyond in the time and energy they put into our gardens. One such volunteer is Adam Eyring, who has used his gardening expertise to tend to La Paz Garden. We wanted to show our deep gratitude to him by highlighting his extensive history and contributions to NSNP – Thank you Adam!
Adam has always had a love of gardening “in his blood” thanks to his mom and her father, but really dove deep into the field 13 years ago after a neighbor’s milkweed sparked his interest in native plants and he became a Philadelphia County Master Gardener in 2019.
He began sharing his love of gardening as well as his expertise with our neighborhood back in 2020 after first volunteering with NSNP and seeing how we could support him to not only beautify the neighborhood, but also maintain green spaces that encourage friends to – grow connections to both the land and each other – learn from each other and the lessons of our natural environment.
“I’ve come across a lot of lots that look like they need TLC, but it’s hard to be certain how long the land will be open space.”
Since then, Adam has traveled from his home in Mt. Airy to the Norris Square Neighborhood to spend countless hours in La Paz Garden relocating invasive plants and planting bright, beautiful natives that attract pollinators. He also shared his knowledge with local gardeners through classes about lantern flies and seed-starting. His contributions to La Paz have been transformative, both for the physical garden, but also for Adam as the unique ecological challenges of “shade, droughts, rich soils that attract unwanted plants” enable him to refine his skills.
“It’s been great to learn more about the eastern side of Philadelphia than I ever knew. It helps me develop an appreciation for the different neighborhoods.”
Looking ahead, Adam is excited for the future of La Paz. With NSNP’s oversight securing continued access along with his skillful care, he sees La Paz being a welcoming space to meet up with friends and gain gardening knowledge about local plants and pollinators for a long time to come.
“It has the potential to be a cute outside corner to hang out in. It is also a place to watch pollinators visit beautiful flowers.”
If you are inspired by Adam’s dedication, visit La Paz to experience firsthand all the hard work he put in as a volunteer, and sign up to learn more about how you can be involved in upcoming volunteer opportunities.
