Peaceful Surrounds Promote Recovery at PWC

Published: 20 June 2018

PWC gardens

At a wellness and recovery center, peace and calm are important elements in the healing environment. The park area of Perry Wellness Center is designed to soothe the senses and create a sense of serenity. On a recent morning, the eastern sunrise, the sound of a running brook, and a burst of green and color in the garden greet center founder and CEO Stuart Perry.

“I love to come and walk through this area with the waterfall and brook,” he explains. “The lush foliage and sounds assure me of the goodness of the coming day.”

Stuart recalls how he established the center in honor of his father, whose suicide shattered his own life during his college years. As the sun rises higher, he reflects on this legacy.

“I had to learn the hard way about depression and what is causes,” he states. “I began Perry Wellness Center as a ‘helping hand’ to others who suffer from mental illness and substance abuse.”

While depression affected his life for many years, Stuart has found his way to recovery and strives for the same results for those who attend groups, meet with peer counselors, and stroll through the campus gardens.

“We are making progress in our mission of educating others about this sickness,” he notes. He believes the physical environment plays its own role in the process. The extensive plantings, water features, and garden structures were designed by artist and employee Jeff Williams to promote an atmosphere of quiet contemplation.

Stuart points to a waterside bench that has often been the site of one-on-one talks with peers.

“This place helps all of us relax and share our thoughts,” he concludes.

Early Morning Shopping Productive

Published: 18 June 2018

Chet Crowley Early morning is a favorite shopping time for customers at farmer’s markets and roadside stands. Many shoppers carry on this tradition at Rudy’s Happy Patch Market, where they beat the heat and get the best selection of fresh produce by stopping by early.

One recent early-morning visitor was Chet Crowley, a longtime customer at the market. He arrived in search of ripe tomatoes and blueberries.

“I try to visit open markets early,” he explained. “I like to have good selection, but with your tomato tables and baskets, I don’t think I have to rush. With all of these tomatoes, I will have no problem making my selections.”

As his hands filled with the morning’s selections, Mr. Crowley looked forward to sharing the produce with his wife.

Tomatoes Galore at Happy Patch

Published: 15 June 2018

Tomato inspection Some time ago, Rudy’s Happy Patch Market adopted the tomato as its primary year-round vegetable of choice, and since then, staff have worked to ensure that a large supply is always on hand. This year, late spring/early summer tomatoes are particularly plentiful at the market.

“We are excited about the recent rains and the production of vegetables by our local farmers,” says Stuart Perry. “Our tomato plants at Rudy’s Happy Patch have been full of produce. It is tempting to walk through our market and select a tomato to eat, like an apple.”

With the huge inventory of tomatoes on hand, care is taken to first sort them by appearance and ripeness. The plump produce is then carefully packed in straw baskets.

Tomato baskets Stuart explains, “Some of our customers like to visit our market and purchase a larger selection of tomatoes. We have put tomatoes in baskets, with special care to provide green, ripening, and ready-to-eat selections. This has been a popular way of selling our tomatoes.”

However they are displayed, this season’s tomatoes are delicious!

In the first photo above, Stuart Perry, staff member Cindy Corbin, and market manager Charles Tanner check a display for any blemished tomatoes. In the second, Charles, Cindy, and Stuart review the variety of tomatoes in baskets.

A Blooming Sign Solution

Published: 13 June 2018

Flower Bucket Signs Sometimes the solution to a problem makes the problem worth having. Such was the case at Perry Wellness Center when a sign placement problem had a perfect solution.

The roadside along East Furlow Street, adjacent to Rudy’s Happy Patch Market, is now too hard to accept our normal display signs – the type whose metal “legs” are planted into the earth. Despite the recent abundance of rain, the earth refused to budget on our little corner.

After some thought, Perry Wellness Center founder and CEO Stuart Perry and an enterprising manager, Kelly Jansen, came up with a solution that not only advertised market produce but provided a visual display of one of the market’s most popular items – Knockout roses. As readers can see from the photo above, the signs legs were placed in buckets of the roses, whose planting soil provided a more yielding environment.

Stuart is pleased with the results, saying, “The solution to this problem for sign display seems to work. We can also place the vegetable and fruit displays along with the popular roses. This will remind passersby and customers of our inventory.”

In the photo, the new signs and holders await placement along the streets adjacent to Happy Patch Market, where they will welcome visitors with a message in true living color.

Introducing the Canna Lily

Published: 11 June 2018

Canna Lilies

The campus of Perry Wellness Center seeks to be a welcoming place, with growing plants, garden structures, colorful signage, and water features throughout. For visitors using the lower level parking lot, the PWC experience begins before even leaving the car.

There, the upper garden wall is a riot of Canna lilies. This brightly colored perennial displays tropical foliage and large flowers shaped like irises. Petal colors include red, yellow, and orange, while foliage may be green, maroon, bronze, or variegated. Staff believe that the variety covering the garden wall is the Florence Vaughan lily.

Canna lilies bring a touch of exotic shapes and long-lasting colors to any garden. As a bonus, they are low-maintenance plants and quite easy to grow. Our favorite garden plants are a combination of showy and hardy, and canna lilies are a perfect example.

We encourage market visitors to check out our “wall of flowers” while they are in the area.

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Peer Postings

Wellness Center Hours

Mon-Fri 7:30 to 3

Happy Patch Market Hours

Mon-Sat 9 to 5:30

Perry Wellness Center | 302 E. Furlow St., Americus, GA 31709 map | 229-924-2430 |

Peaceful Surrounds Promote Recovery at PWC

Early Morning Shopping Productive

Tomatoes Galore at Happy Patch

A Blooming Sign Solution

Introducing the Canna Lily

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