Savannah's Organic Ranch Announces Next School Garden Site

Eight schools around Orange County have received . Mission Viejo's Newhart Middle School will be the ninth.

In an effort to educate children on the importance of healthy eating, Joe and Lisa Sachen began building organic gardens around the county in honor of their daughter Savannah who died from a rare form of cancer in 2007.

Ross Chun, Founder and CEO of Eco-Stride, addressed the Capistrano Unified School District Board of Trustees to invite them to the 2012 Sustainability Forum at Soka University. Lisa Sachen, who will be a speaker at the forum, was scheduled to announce the garden with Chun during Wednesday's meeting, but was delayed by overtime of her son's Little League game.

“I was honored to make the announcement on behalf of Savannah’s Organic Ranch. The Sachens always put their children first, and I knew that there was the possibility of Lisa’s delay when I heard about the importance of this game.” Chun said.

Sachen arrived toward the end of the meeting, with her three children in tow, in time to hear applause from the board, Chun said.

Construction of the Newhart Middle School garden will begin this fall.

After receiving the land lease for a 24-acre piece of land in Aliso Viejo, Savannah's Organic Ranch has begun fundraising to build a a full-scale, working organic farm.

Read more about the upcoming Sustainability Forum here.