MOOSE JAW — A burst of colour has been added to the Serenity Garden at Pioneer Lodge, thanks to a group of imaginative Grade 5 students from St. Michael School.
As part of an initiative led by Heartland Hospice Moose Jaw, the students recently hand-painted more than 20 decorative rocks to add a cheerful and personal touch to the outdoor space, .
“I asked (the class) to do some rock painting just to add some colour to the garden, (to) make the residents and people at the hospice wing smile a bit,” said Connie Paul, a board member with Heartland Hospice who is involved in the Serenity Garden project.
Paul reached out to fellow board member Allison Gritzfeld, who teaches the Grade 5 class at St. Michael, and asked if her students would be interested in contributing to the garden.
“She said, ‘For sure they would,’” Paul continued. “And you know what? I think the kids really enjoyed it. When they came to place their rocks, I said, ‘Just place them wherever you would like to place them.’ And so they scattered them around and placed them in different places. I actually even heard a few of them say, ‘I’m going to come back by here and make sure my rocks were where I put them.’ They were quite proud of them.”
The painted rocks feature cheerful themes — rainbows, ladybugs, frogs and, colourful patterns — with the students encouraged to use their imaginations and paint something uplifting.
“I said to Allison, ‘You know, just (ask the students to add) colour, add some rainbows, or if they want to paint ladybugs or frogs … anything that’s cheerful (will do nicely),’” she said. “They all had a great set of minds, and there are some very interesting rocks now.”
The response from residents at the newly opened hospice care wing has been equally positive.
“I’ve had a couple of the residents who are out quite often in the smoking pad comment on how nice and bright (the new rocks) make the garden, and just how cheerful it is,” she said. “It means more to know that … Grade 5 students did it … and that they were actually even interested in doing something like that, right?”
Heartland Hospice plans to expand the Serenity Garden space even further next spring, Paul said, noting that the addition of these colourful stones helps make the garden feel more welcoming and meaningful.
“It even brightens my day up when I go to work at the garden,” she said. “It just looks so nice to have the rocks there.”
The Serenity Garden is located on the east side of Pioneer Lodge at 1000 Albert Street. The home can be reached at 306-693-4616.
this summer. To sign up for an available week or specific day, contact Connie Paul at [email protected] or 306-630-6148.
To learn more about Heartland Hospice and its work in the community, visit or call 306-690-8699.
