Catalino Tapia was 20 years old when he immigrated from Mexico in search of a better life. He started his own gardening business, bought a home, and educated his children. In 2002, he decided to give back to the community by starting the Bay Area Gardeners’Foundation, which provides college scholarships to the children of low-income families. Since 2006, the Bay Area Gardeners’ Foundation has provided scholarships to 14 students who have gone on to continue their education. Tapia and other gardeners he knew began asking their clients for donations, and within two weeks, they raised $10,000 for the foundation. In 2006, when the group had raised $45,000, they sponsored five students at $1,500 each. In 2007, they sponsored nine more at the same amount and added a special award – the student with the highest grades got an additional $1,000.“

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