Caps Fans Join Jeff Schultz to Help Build a Garden at Powell Elementary School

The Washington Capitals and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) want to thank all the volunteers who braved the sweltering heat and donated their time to help build a garden at Powell Elementary School on June 9. More than 50 Caps fans and USDA volunteers joined Caps defenseman Jeff Schultz and his girlfriend Mackenzie Keeley at Powell Elementary School in Washington, D.C., to lay the groundwork for a habitat garden on the school’s grounds.

The volunteers were split into groups where they worked on various projects like building a bat house and a shed to store the gardening tools, painting animal cutouts that would be placed throughout the garden, tilling the soil, creating a woodchip path, planting, mulching, watering and installing birdfeeders. Throughout the course of the day, all of the preschool through fourth-grade classes came outside to learn about the garden, help the volunteers and do an arts and crafts project. As the temperature reached 100 degrees, students also ran through the sprinklers to cool off and danced to the music that was provided to keep the volunteers in good spirits.

“Although it was really hot out here today, I still had a great time,” said Schultz. “Our fans worked so hard and I was very impressed by them. I think we all know how important this garden is to the kids and I was happy to come out and help today.”

This garden is part of the USDA’s People’s Garden initiative and the Capitals and USDA have been working with the staff and students at Powell Elementary School since February to make it a reality. The Capitals adopted Powell Elementary School, a largely minority D.C. Public School for preschoolers through fourth graders, during the 2010-11 season and have visited the school with staff and players on numerous occasions.

While the groundwork has been laid for the Powell Elementary School habitat garden, the project is still underway. The Capitals and USDA look forward to finishing the project next week and will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the entire school upon completion.

To see a photo gallery from the event, click here.
To see video from the event, click here.