news release

“After moving the Laura (Riding) Jackson historic home museum in 2019 to its current home on Mueller Campus of Indian River State College in Vero Beach, we are celebrating Laura (Riding) Jackson’s birthday on Tuesday,January 16, 2024 with our ribbon-cutting of a brand new path linking Brackett Library to our LRJ Pole Barn and Florida Friendly garden,” remarked Jacque Jacobs, LRJF President. “Our local and all-volunteer Board are thrilled to bring the community a chance to enjoy our garden, one of Treasure Coast’s.gems: a place to enjoy nature in the middle of our county.”

Treasure Coast residents are invited on January 16 from 2:00-3:30 pm to join the Laura (Riding) Jackson Foundation; Indian River State College; Indian River County Library System and local grant makers who funded this path at the LRJF Historic home and Pole Barn and experience a walk through the Florida friendly garden at IRSC on Mueller Campus in Vero Beach, Florida.

“This connection is both literal, in terms of a new path actually physically connecting us and figurative in the sense that our organizations are all working together on behalf of the Treasure Coast community,” said Sara Wilson, LRJF Executive Director.

“We are delighted to join with our partners and celebrate the enhanced connectivity between the educational, historical, and cultural resources at Indian River State College Mueller Campus,” said Campus President Dr. Terri Graham.

Following the ribbon-cutting, guests are invited to enjoy cookies and cupcakes courtesy of Indian River State College Hospitality and Culinary Management Program. Guests

with children will also be able to enjoy some children’s activities in the Children’s Garden, which was also funded by local grant makers, including Quail Valley Charities and the Brackett Family Foundation. Families can now carry their library books out of the Brackett Library to the Children’s Garden, read outdoors, and enjoy the literary activities for children, such as the Word Garden.

“Having the Laura Riding Jackson Historic Home as a neighbor to the Brackett Library has been a tremendous asset, and we are thrilled that this new pathway will not only connect our physical spaces, but also bridge the rich history of our community’s past and present, while enriching the library experience for our users,” said Indian River County Library Director Elizabeth Stenger.

LRJF is dedicated to preserving the author’s home and the Florida-friendly garden surrounding it while nurturing writers of all ages through a series of literary offerings including writers’ groups, summer camps, workshops, and poetry festivals. The Foundation honors writer Laura (Riding) Jackson’s belief in the promise of language by creating community through the literary arts.