SAN DIEGO — Walk the garden at St. Madeline Sophie’s Center and it’s clear the plants aren’t the only things blossoming.

What You Need To Know

  • St. Madeline Sophie’s Center is a work training program for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities

  • In addition to their two-acre garden, they also have various classes with topics on everything from heat safety and cooking to music and art therapy

  • Cody Yeargain is a student who is studying in the horticulture program

  • About 400 students come every day, with about 80 participating in the horticulture program

Cody Yeargain said going there gives him something to look forward to every day.

“I don’t know what I would do,” Yeargain said. “I would probably go crazy at home. Probably be a couch potato.”

St. Madeline Sophie’s Center is a work training program for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Yeargain and other students are getting real-life training as part of their horticulture program.

“They’re teaching me how to garden, how to rake, how to weed, how to water, how to do everything,” he said.  

Helping students grow has been Mark Fisher’s focus for twenty years, serving students with disabilities like Down syndrome, autism and cerebral palsy. He said their work training and social experiences encourage them to become well-rounded, contributing members of the community.

“They’re learning how to focus. They’re learning how to do a skill like learning gardening skills,” Fisher said. “They’re involved in every aspect of propagation, maintenance of the garden.”

Fisher said hundreds of students head to the garden every day, referred by the Regional Center to help each one achieve their goal of living as independently as possible.

In addition to their two-acre garden, they also have various classes with topics on everything from heat safety to cooking to music and art therapy.

Fisher said he loves seeing the students bloom right alongside the plants.

“Relationships with the clients, seeing them progress and become more independent is really a big part of it,” he said. “It’s really a sense of community that we have.”

Yeargain loves everything about gardening, but especially the feel of his fingers in the soil. He said he’s learning skills here that he can use for the rest of his life.

“It’s a good place to be,” Yeargain said. “I’m blessed with this place.”

Fisher said there are about 80 students in the horticulture program. People can buy arrangements that the students have created throughout the year at their campus in El Cajon.