Donor Impact Spotlight: The Power of Your Gift
At 577, we often look to the rhythms of nature to guide us—and 2025 has been a true season of growth. While the gardens may rest during fall and winter, your support has ensured that 577’s creative, caring community continues to bloom all year long.
Because of your generosity, 577’s growth as an organization shows no signs of slowing down. This year, your gifts helped create spaces and opportunities that strengthen our mission of lifelong learning and community connection.
Creating the Green Door Studio
A transformational estate gift from longtime class participant and supporter Karen Leopold, coupled with a grant from The Lott-Conlon Foundation, brought a long-held dream to life: the Green Door Studio. Once a maintenance shop, the building is now a bright, accessible classroom for gardening, nature, and messy arts programs—designed to embody vitality, growth, and balance.
Feeding the Community
With help from The Home Depot Foundation and dedicated Team Depot volunteers, a new keyhole garden took root this year—an accessible, educational garden that increases 577’s capacity to grow and donate fresh, organic produce. Combined with raised beds supported by the Growing Fund, these additions help provide 1,500–2,000 pounds of organic produce annually to local food banks.
Fueling Creativity in the Pottery Studio
Your gifts to the Pottery Fund raised over $45,000 to purchase a new state-of-the-art electric kiln and begin construction of a replacement wood kiln. With 2,000 class seats and thousands of hours of studio use each year, these upgrades ensure the pottery program remains a thriving cornerstone of creativity at 577.
Sowing Seeds for the Future
Thanks to generous support from the Walleye Wishing Well Fund of the Greater Toledo Community Foundation and donors to the Children’s Nature Play Fund, the StoryWalk® at 577 continues to grow—enriching early literacy and outdoor learning for local families.
Volunteer groups and community partners, from schools to local clubs, also gave their time and talents to care for the grounds, gardens, and programs that make 577 so special.
Support from the Serendipity Fund—a fund that honors our founder—helped sustain this growth behind the scenes. This vital unrestricted funding provides flexibility to care for historic buildings, nurture staff and programs, and ensure 577 remains adaptable and thriving through every new season.
Your gifts have built more than programs and gardens—they’ve cultivated belonging, creativity, and joy. Because of you, 577 continues to grow into a sustainable, welcoming sanctuary for discovery and connection.
Click to read the 2025 Donor Impact Update, to see how your gifts made a difference at 577!
