Community Foundation of Northeast Alabama provides grant to Jax State for serenity garden

JACKSONVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — A foundation in Northeastern Alabama provided a grant to Jacksonville State University for a designated outdoor sanctuary for students, staff and visitors.

At a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, the University said A Space for Grace Serenity Garden was dedicated behind Mason Hall. The new outdoor sanctuary is designed to provide students, faculty, staff, and visitors with a peaceful space for reflection, connection, and mental well-being, the school said.

The University said the dedication marked the culmination of a vision that began in 2018.

“Today is about gratitude, community, and the hope that this garden will offer peace and renewal for all who enter,” Julie Nix, Coordinator of Social Work Field Education, said. “This garden is more than plants, wood, and stone. It’s an invitation to remember that our spirit, like the earth, needs tending.”

Because of a grant from the Community Foundation of Northeast Alabama, support from the national nonprofit Nature Sacred and contributions from the JSU community, the project took shape.

More than $13,000 was raised by former Miss JSU Grace Ann Lundy during her 2024 service initiative, “Let’s Talk About It.” The University said the garden’s name, “A Space for Grace”, was inspired by a saying within the Marching Ballerinas: Give yourself grace.

CFNEA’s Vice President of Community Partnership, Fred Smith, said this garden provides a space for endless possibilities.

“This site joins our network of now 18 sites throughout Northeast Alabama, providing an opportunity for deep connection, for unlikely leaders to find themselves in leadership positions through community engagement and programming,” Smith said.

The Serenity Garden joins a network of 137 Sacred Places nationwide. Erin Robertson, Chief Programs Officer for Nature Sacred, said one of the signature features of the garden are waterproof journals under the benches.

“Underneath the benches that are found in every one of our sacred places are yellow waterproof journals. I invite all of you to take a moment, record your thoughts, and you will notice that these journals will fill up quickly with people who come to them to share their joy, their celebrations, maybe their grief or sometimes that they need to process some struggles that they are having in their lives – and you’ll create a community that feels autonomous at the same time welcoming,” Robertson said.

Below is a list of garden features for anyone visiting to enjoy:

• Circular pathways surrounding the space for ease of movement and accessibility
• Pergola and archways providing a focal point with shade and a welcoming environment
• Hammock poles where students can hang hammocks, a popular campus activity
• Two Nature Sacred benches for quiet reflection and journaling
• Student-designed sculpture created through collaboration with JSU’s Art Department is planned for the future and will be created and installed specifically for the space.

You can read more about the garden and other organizations involved in this project on JSU’s website here.