Fiskars® Announces Support of 20 Noteworthy Garden Initiatives 
Across the U.S. and Canada

Madison, WI (May 25, 2010) – Fiskars® recently awarded over $40,000 in grants to 20 different gardening groups across the U.S. and Canada. The 20 grant recipients were selected from a pool of 1,300 applicants. Through this innovative community gardening grant program, Project Orange Thumb®, Fiskars donated $1,000 in the latest garden tools and $1,000 in cash for the purchase of green goods to each organization. 

Project Orange Thumb has supported over 115 community groups with nearly $1 million to create and develop their own special community gardens. These include garden projects geared toward community involvement, neighborhood beautification, sustainable agriculture and/or horticultural education. 

In 2010, applicants were encouraged to use their most creative form of expression to share why their garden would be chosen as one of the world’s most interesting gardens 50 years from now. In response, the company received 1,300 submissions including sculptures, photography, music and movies. 

Projects were submitted with applications stating goals common to the exploding trend of community gardening – some wishing to create a more interconnected community, others hoping to green up a deserted space, and many hoping to provide additional resources to their local food bank. 

The following organizations were selected for their creativity and thorough plans for execution: 

2010 Project Orange Thumb Grant Awardees: 

Wakefield Parent Garden Club in Tucson, Arizona 

Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center in National City, California 

Bringing Back Paradise in South Gate, California 

Milledgeville Community Garden in Milledgeville, Georgia 

Trouser House Garden in New Orleans, Louisiana 

Caring Community Gardens- South Gardiner in Randolph, Maine 

Art Park in Boston, Massachusetts 

Toi-Ticutta Community Garden in Fallon, Nevada 

Sunrise Sunset Garden in Newmarket, New Hampshire 

Gowanus Canal Conservancy Garden in Brooklyn, New York 

Highland Community Vegetable Garden in Niagara Falls, New York 

Recycle Garden in New York, New York 

Thackeray Garden Group in Cleveland, Ohio 

How Does Your Garden Grow- Youth and Teen Project in Bend, Oregon 

Amazing Heart in Orrtanna, Pennsylvania 

Unity Park Community Garden in Round Rock, Texas 

Collaborative Teaching Garden in Appleton, Wisconsin 

Pay it Forward Community/School Garden in Waunakee, Wisconsin 

Whitby Ajax Community Garden in Whitby, Ontario 

Ben Nobleman Park Community Orchard in Toronto, Ontario 

"The grant is about more than tools and money," said Fiskars President Paul Tonnesen. "Fiskars hopes that these grants provide groups with encouragement, greater community involvement and the ability to reach their gardening goals." 

For further information on the grant recipients and the Project Orange Thumb program, visit www.projectorangethumb.com. Updates of each garden’s progress through the growing season will be posted to the Fiskars website. 

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ABOUT PROJECT ORANGE THUMB 

Started in 2002, Fiskars’ Project Orange Thumb is a grant program that provides community garden groups with the tools and materials they need to reach their goals for neighborhood beautification and horticulture education. To date, Project Orange Thumb grants have totaled nearly $1 million and supported over 115 community groups through the program. 2010 recipients of the Project Orange Thumb Garden Makeovers are Portland, OR (April 28), Columbus, OH (June 2), and Vancouver, BC (June 23). Baltimore, Atlanta, Toronto, Orlando, San Francisco, and Chicago have been recipients of past community garden makeovers and neighborhood beautification. 

ABOUT FISKARS 

Fiskars, the World’s #1 scissors brand, is a leading global supplier of consumer products for the home, garden and outdoors. The group has a strong portfolio of trusted international brands including: Iittala, Gerber, Silva, and Buster. Founded in 1649, Fiskars has over 360 years of product quality excellence and is Finland's oldest company. For more information, please visit www.fiskars.com.