Ribbon Garden rallies support for Katrina victims

5:09 p.m., Sept. 22, 2005--UD’s Ribbon Garden, a weeklong community project to promote awareness on campus for victims of Hurricane Katrina, has grown to approximately 2,500 ribbons since its inception last Friday evening, Sept. 16.

Created as a monument to show local support for individuals affected by Katrina, the Ribbon Garden, which decorates The Green south of Memorial Hall in an emerald wave of personally inscribed ribbons, offers passersby the chance to reflect and contribute messages of courage and solidarity.

“We came up with the idea for this garden when we reflected on what we could do at the University to support Hurricane Katrina victims in a way that would be representative of the campus and meaningful to the students,” Cynthia Cummings, associate vice president for campus life, said. “We thought back to 9/11, when we did a similar garden in which members of the University community wrote and read messages written by others, and we remembered what a good opportunity that had given students to reflect on individuals less fortunate than themselves.

“When students can take in all the thoughts of others and consider them as a whole, it often spurs them to action, and that is the ultimate goal of this garden,” Cummings said. “Certainly, the victims of Hurricane Katrina need support, but the message to support those less fortunate also applies to people within the campus and Newark communities, as well.”

The garden, which is arranged in concentric circles--a shape traditionally used to represent hope, life and growth--also serves, through its formation, as a symbol of perseverance and new beginnings.

“There are many connotations associated with a circle, but the main message of this one is hope,” Michele Michelon Kane, assistant director of Residence Life and one of the project’s chief organizers, said. “The concentric circles represent the ongoing momentum of community spirit and giving by the UD family.”

Sophomore Tyler Kupper adds his message to the garden of more than 2,500 personally inscribed ribbons on The Green.

The garden, which will remain up until late Friday afternoon, Sept. 23, has been staffed from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. each day this week by volunteers, who hand out ribbons that are then inscribed and hung by contributors.

“Our main goal is to make sure that everyone who wants to sign a ribbon can,” Kane said, “because this garden is designed to be a place where people can express their support with messages of hope.”

The messages fluttering in the breeze range from Chinese pictograms of sanctuary and faith to “All is well,” “United we stand” and “Our thoughts are with you.”

“People are free to write what they want,” Kane said, “but a message that comes across very clearly is one of solidarity and a feeling that we’re all in this together.”

Article by Becca Hutchinson
Photos by Sarah Simon, AS ’06, and Tyler Jacobson, AS ’06

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