Students treat caring homes to plant cuttings

Residents of Fokusproject Utrecht Antonius nursing home and rehabilitation center De Hoogstraat in Utrecht were surprised last week by students of the Utrecht Biologists Association (UBV) with a plant cutting. It is a cheerful support for those who are having a difficult time at the moment.

Challenge

"For us it was nice to be able to do something for people who are having a hard time at the moment," says Doortje Knobbe, chairman of UBV. "As board members we have a pretty quiet time now, and we want to spend that extra time in a useful way." The study association was approached by the Red Cross to take part in a weekly challenge. After a short brainstorm they came up with the idea of handing out plant cuttings of students to residents of an elderly home and a revalidation center in de vicinity.

As board members we have a pretty quiet time now, and we want to spend that extra time in a useful way

Doortje Knobbe, chairman UBV

Safe return

The board made an appeal among its members to take cuttings from a plant of their own. Within no time, in cooperation with the faculty board, a piece of parking space was reserved at the Utrecht Science Park where participants could safely hand in their cuttings. This yielded around thirty cuttings, which were then taken to the homes in Utrecht and distributed.

Success

"Of course, we couldn't give the cuttings to the residents themselves, but those who received the cuttings for them were very happy", says Doortje proudly. "And it was also a success for our members. Everyone wants to help, but sometimes it's hard to figure out how. In this way, they were able to commit themselves through us in a beautiful way."