North Carolina

During the month of April, NC AgrAbility reached out to the community in western North Carolina through the Greening Up the Mountains Festival, which is an event initially rooted as an earth day celebration. It was celebrated on April 22nd in the city of Sylva. It is the year's largest event, bringing about 10-12,000 visitors and includes a focus on environmental protection, sustainability, and promotion of local businesses and civic groups. NC AgrAbility and Disability Partners Center for Independent Living staffed one of the 220 exhibitors' booths. The staff was able to reach roughly 200 people who benefited from learning about ergonomic tools, assistive technology, and how to prevent injuries while farming and gardening.

On April 29, the Iredell County Garden Fair was the opportunity to reach out to farmers, ranchers, gardeners, and master gardeners who had the chance to learn ways to make gardening easier and to make the time in the garden more enjoyable. The attendees had the opportunity to try some of the ergonomic tools and assistive technology, and to learn how they can work with the body to take bending and squeezing out of the farming and gardening work.

Submitted by Beatriz (Betty) Rodriguez