Planting seeds of success: How students are helping transform downtown Wabash

To passersby, they’re just planters enhancing downtown Wabash, but to the youth who play a part in designing and installing them, they represent opportunity and potential. 

These teens, who range in age from 15 to 18, represent success stories from Wabash-based Josiah White’s, a nonprofit social services agency that provides residential programs, family preservation and foster services throughout the state. For years, the organization has been a source of hope and positive change for youth and families. 

Its cornerstone vocational training program, Growing Teens for Life is a prime example of that impact in action if you ask Program Coordinator Brittany Burns. 

“Growing Teens for Life is transforming how residential youth at Josiah White's prepare for their future careers,” she says. “Through hands-on work experience opportunities, the program addresses a critical gap in many young residents' lives– the chance to develop essential workplace skills.”

Acting as a coach and guide, Burns takes new residents through the onboarding process and places them at one of their 12 training sites. The roles range from working as a barista in a cafe to learning the skills needed to perform automotive work. This diversity means the students have many different opportunities to learn real-world skills.

Teens in the Growing Teens for Life place arrangements in planters lining the streets of Wabash.In addition to its commitment to helping families and teens, Josiah White's holds a commitment to community collaboration. These two values converged as the Growing Teens for Life Program partnered with the city of Wabash.

That partnership was spurred by a supporter of Josiah White's, Amy Ford, who mentioned a potential opportunity to work with the city on its downtown revitalization goals. Burns says Amy’s passion for community enhancement aligned perfectly with Josiah White’s vision for student development. Through Amy's dedication, Growing Teens for Life formed a meaningful partnership with the city of Wabash, creating what she refers to as “a bridge” between the students' growth and making downtown more attractive.

Since 2023, Josiah White's students have beautified the downtown area by designing and planting arrangements in 52 street boxes. Burns says throughout the year, students spend time preparing, planning, executing and maintaining these plantings for spring, fall and winter. The plants come from the agency’s own 50 East Garden Center, which is open to the public and also partially maintained by students. By supporting the greenhouse and garden center, customers help students gain real-world experience in customer service, operations, and greenhouse management. In her words, “These aren't just jobs– they're stepping stones to their future.”
In this way, the program’s impact on youth is both qualitative and quantitative. 

50 East Greenhouse“By immersing teens in real-world work environments, Growing Teens for Life equips them with the practical knowledge, professional etiquette, and confidence they need to successfully transition into the workforce after their time at Josiah White's,” says Burns.

She also notes the partnership with the city not only connects youth to their community but also allows them to experience the joy of seeing their work admired by the public. Pedestrians frequently stop to compliment and encourage the students, providing a sense of affirmation many students have never experienced before. These lessons learned at the work sites often serve as a springboard for success after they leave.
Students plan, execute and maintain these planters throughout the spring, fall and winter.
“We’re dedicated to empowering our youth and making them realize that they're so much bigger than the reasons that they ended up here,” says Burns. “We don't want them to go back home and continue to make the same choices. So we're trying to give them the tools to be more productive when they go back home.”

She says this is just the beginning when it comes to community collaboration.

“The opportunity is so endless with our collaboration with the community,” explains Burns. “They continue to amaze me every day with the opportunities they bring for our students. This year, I'm really focusing on enhancing each work site. It will be nice to go through and make sure that we are making it the best experience for each student. I'm looking at different partnerships to help enhance those areas and get the community involved with what we're doing here on campus.”

Wabash Mayor Scott Long shares that vision, emphasizing the dual benefit of the arrangement. He says his impetus for aligning with Josiah White’s was the opportunity to give the students what he refers to as a “hands-on experience in the real world.”

The financial aspect of the partnership is another example of resourceful thinking. Long indicated that the budget for the planters comes from the city’s discretionary economic development funds. This adaptability in funding underscores the city’s commitment to improving the aesthetic appeal of its downtown and investing in programs that have a lasting impact on individuals and the community as a whole. 
Long says this model is transferable and would benefit any city or town. His advice to other government leaders is to think beyond the status quo. 

Students plan, execute and maintain these planters throughout the spring, fall and winter.“Don't hesitate to reach out to local groups, be it a youth group, or a 4H group, or a group of that nature to see if they would have an interest in doing something like that for you,” he says. “As a public servant, it’s easy to become accustomed to working with the same people every day. As a result, the younger crowd can sometimes be overlooked.”

This story was created in partnership with Visit Wabash County.