The Puig family
ing improved nutritional and vocational training for Eden students and partici- pants, as well as other interested youth and community groups.
Luzi’s sons, 9-year-old Antonio and 6-year-old Saul, participated in garden classes as part of their home- schooling. The Puigs helped Eden cre- ate a Rent-a-Bed program to lease plots from late October through April, and offered a popular six-week introduction to organic gardening course. Impacting children’s lives daily in the Eden garden brought meaning and personal reward to Puig, and individu- als in the community that learned about his efforts provided support. One was Bob Newsome, a local farmer who met John and Luzi at North Naples Method- ist Church in 2010. “When I heard John give a talk about the Eden garden, I knew he needed a small tractor. I approached a group of my friends and we donated money to buy one,” says Newsome, who teamed up with Elvie Engle, a local farmer from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to start Collier Family Farms, in Ave Maria. Liz Quinter, a single mother whose son, Mike, participates in Puig’s garden classes, is another big supporter. She is working diligently to keep the farm, composting and Rent-a-Bed operations going with the help of volunteers, while Puig fights a battle with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to keep Luzi, Antonio, Saul and his unborn son in the U.S. “Fighting the USCIS, which is trying to deport Luzi, takes up all my time now, and I can’t work the farm or conduct classes,” Puig explains. Like other Eden students, Mike Quinter, who has Asberger’s Syndrome, has been positively affected by working with Puig. “Until Mike started gardening at the farm and became fascinated with worm composting, I had to trick him into going to public school,” advises his mom,
who points out that Puig’s curriculum is about more than organic gardening. “John teaches them how to communicate with each other, as well as the valuable skills they will need to work and fit into the community, which means his contri- bution is priceless,” she enthuses. Brooklyn Clemmens, a 17-year- old Eden student with a part-time job at a local Publix supermarket, admires Puig’s relationship with the Earth. “It’s part of him, like a sister,” says Clem- mens, who appreciates Puig’s ability to evaluate people not by what they
appear to be, but by what they do. “He sees through appearances to your po- tential, just like he sees beyond the dirt in his hand to the living organisms that outnumber the humans on Earth. I sure don’t want to see John and his family leave Eden permanently. Even if he won’t be here, he’ll still be an inspira- tion,” says Clemmens.
For information on Eden Autism Services or The Garden at Eden vocational train- ing, 2801 County Barn Rd., Naples, call 239-992-4680 or visit
EdenFlorida.org.
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natural awakenings November 2012
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