Sacramento Bee Sacramento, California January 5, 2007 [web address requires registration]
Garden of love and hope catches eye of PBS show By Melissa Dahl - Bee Staff Writer It took a muddy little patch of grass to spark Rosemary Curto's brush with fame. Curto, who lives in Sacramento, created a community garden in April for the women and children at St. John's Homeless Shelter, where she volunteers her time leading Bible studies, organizing summer concerts and teaching gardening classes. On Saturday, the PBS show "Real Simple" will feature Curto and the effect the garden has had on the shelter. The episode, the show's season premiere, will be broadcast on cable channel KVIE2 at 3:30 p.m. Curto chatted with us about her volunteer work and her 15 minutes of fame. Q: You had this vision more than a year ago for this garden -- does the reality match your vision? A: It turned out really well. I was kind of shocked when they did the filming. They had me shut up for a while, and they asked (the women) some questions: "What did the garden mean to you?" It's really quite inspirational to hear how much it means to them. Gardens are always like that -- a blessing for everybody. Q: What kinds of benefits have you seen it bring the women and children at the shelter? A: It's more a mental health thing than anything. Some of these gals have some real mental health issues, some, addictions. I think the garden ministers to their spirit. That's just a good thing, and I'm always back to overcoming evil with doing good. Q: As far as you know, what is the show "Real Simple" going to focus on? A: Unfortunately, in my opinion, it's going to mostly be about me. That surprises me; I never asked for that. When I looked at that little muddy corner I had no idea I was going to be profiled on national TV. That certainly wasn't a goal. I'm hoping it's more about the garden than about me. Q: Did you ever think you'd be a TV star? A: (Laughs) Absolutely not, in my wildest dreams! You have to realize I'm going to be 67 in February. I gave them all a bad time -- "You had to wait until I was old to make me a TV star!" Q: What was it like to film the show? A: It was quite surprising. They sat me down in a chair for hours at a time and just threw these questions at me. They were here at the shelter, in the garden, pretty much all day long, asking me questions. It was sort of like being grilled. So I'm hoping that the editing process is a positive one, that I don't come off as a total dingbat. Q: What have you learned from volunteering at the shelter? A: I've just really learned that it gives you great satisfaction. You get a great reward -- not in attention or money -- you just get a really good sense of accomplishing something. Q: What did it take to create the garden at the shelter? A: My husband (Gordon) and I pretty much did it from scratch; it was just a muddy area in their backyard. It took four months to create it. Q: What's been the reaction to the garden? A: I am encouraged in the fact that the women are taking interest in it. I told them it's not my garden, it's their garden. I told them it's like a human -- it needs attention, it needs love. Q: What's in the garden? A: The front two beds are perennials, which means they should come back next year. There are over $1,000 worth of flowers out there. It's about 33 square feet, and the garden is in four beds, and there are walks that go in between. There's a wonderful white picket fence, and a plaque that says Alma's Garden. Q: Who's Alma? A: Alma Roebbelen, a friend of mine. She was just one of those people that was just loving to everybody. I just think it's really important to impact our communities with good deeds, and redirect some of this action from negative into positive with these projects. I try to overcome evil by doing good. Q: You've talked several times about "overcoming evil with good" -- is that a motto of yours? A: Oh, it's a biblical principle. It's just a real good way to live. If you only look at the evil in the world, it gets very discouraging. So if you think about living your life overcoming the evil with good, then it makes a big difference. I'm telling you, I'm a happy person.
