Darcy Whalen: Planting a Cure
Brenda Cawley sits on her wooden swing in the backyard of her North Charleston home and watches the sun graze her flowers. She loves her garden. It helps her think of something other than her chemo appointment today. And tomorrow. And the next day. Her garden brings her hope. And gardens will bring hope to countless others suffering from cancer across the Lowcountry in the near future, thanks to Darcy Whalen.
Whalen, who owned the beloved home and garden store Simply Divine that closed in response to the big bad bully economy, turned lemons into lemonade by creating Simply Divine Garden, a non-profit planting gardens for people undergoing cancer treatment.
She got the idea last year, but a love of gardening has always been in her blood. The Fairfax, VA native (who currently lives on J.I.) lives by her mother’s motto of “You leave things better than you found them.” It is her mother, who couldn’t wait to retire to work in her garden all day, only to get sick with cancer and pass away two years after retirement, who inspires Whalen.
Last week, Whalen and ten volunteers got their hands dirty to give Mrs. Cawley, the first person to receive a Simply Divine Garden, a sanctuary away from the hospitals. The organization relies solely on volunteers (needs 8-12 per garden), financial sponsorships and donations of supplies, and is in desperate need of all these to keep fulfilling requests. From backyard havens to small patio and container gardens, they bring in pro designers and tailor each garden to the specific person. They’ll even help maintain it for a year.
Looking at the requests starting to pile in, CHARLIE asked Whalen how she prioritizes who gets gardens. She simply says, “I’m just going down the list.”
You can volunteer, request a garden, donate and find other ways to get involved at www.SimplyDivineGarden.org.
For those who miss the original hand-painted watering pots, or the beautifully crafted wooden roosters, or any of the other collector items that our favorite home and garden store carried, take heart in the peace that Whalen has found in creating Simply Divine Garden. “The store was my dream. This is my passion.”
Roll up your sleeves and take part in the passion.
Photos by Matthew Morse
