CINCINNATI — In the garden, she's known simply as the basil queen. That’s Sunny Gomez’s unofficial title at Brick Gardens in Madisonville.
"I just have magic hands," Sunny said with a smile.
She’s 15. And right now, she’s trying to pull something else out of the ground. Her boss is shouting.
“Pull!”
Gomez almost falls down. And after yanking off the leaves, she shows me a head of purple broccoli.
“Isn’t that beautiful?” said Marco Powell, the garden's manager.
Gomez used to be shy. But her job here has helped her break out of that. Now, she’s the basil queen — helping provide locally-grown food to her community. Much of it for free.
'My job is to find funding' | Nonprofit leader talks significant funding cuts
“It’s something that we need,” Powell said. “It’s something that we can’t do without.”
But he worries they might need to.
Powell tells me he relies on teen workers paid by Groundwork Ohio River Valley, an environmental organization that tests air quality and advocates for low-income communities.
“It’s been a little stressful,” said Sarah Kent, executive director of the nonprofit. “My job is really to find funding for the organization."
That’s why she’s picking leaves in her garden to make tea.
Because the organization lost a $750,000 grant and most of a $200,000 grant this year. Other federal funds are still up in the air — money Kent tells me makes up about two-thirds of the group's budget. Something that could drastically impact an organization that actually pays residents to help find solutions to their changing environments.
An organization that employs more than 300 young people.
“What we offer, more than anything, is community support,” Kent said. “I think everyone, especially our youth, should be able to experience that.”
And that's why Powell is at the garden. Sweating profusely, even if his teenage employees are doing most of the work.
"Is that beautiful or is that beautiful?" said Powell. “I still get that kid feeling in me. It’s really gratifying.”
