Dream Gardeners include (front and center) Lisa Richards and Raymond Tsosie, as well as Rotary volunteers from Colorado and Flagstaff. 

Chinle ‘Dream Garden’ to get $3,000 grant

The Rotary Club of Flagstaff is proud to announce it has secured a $3,000 District Grant to support a major expansion of the Dream Garden on the Navajo Nation in Chinle, Arizona. Work is expected to begin this fall, in partnership with the nonprofit Chinle Planting Hope.

This garden serves as a gathering place for the community and a source of fresh produce for the Chinle senior center. This new phase of investment will help the garden take a big step toward its full potential as a resilient, culturally rooted resource for years to come.

“This project is a perfect example of Rotarians in action,” said Flagstaff Rotary Club President Eric Wolverton. “It’s about combining efforts to make greater impacts in communities far and wide that need our support.”

Plans include planting apples trees to establish the garden's orchard. Additional upgrades may include improved soil amendment systems suited to desert growing conditions, a new composting system to build long-term soil fertility, and renovations to the garden's greenhouse to support year-round growing.

The project reflects Rotary's ongoing partnership with Chinle Planting Hope to create a lasting, sustainable impact. The past two summers, Flagstaff Rotarians have made the three-hour drive to Chinle to help with a variety of projects, from putting solar-powered lights in houses that don’t have electricity to installing a new irrigation system in the Dream Garden.

This fall, Flagstaff arborist Christi Sorrell will lend her expertise to guide tree selection and planting, and Flagstaff Rotary members will join Chinle Planting Hope volunteers for a hands-on planting day.

The $3,000 project is funded through a $1,500 Rotary District Grant matched with $1,500 from the Rotary Club of Flagstaff, alongside significant in-kind support from volunteers and community partners.