$250K Grant For Eli’s Garden Of Healing Celebrated In Hamden

HAMDEN, CT — Local and state officials celebrated a $250,000 planning grant to the Hamden nonprofit Eli’s Garden of Healing at a press conference Thursday at DeNicola Park.

Hamden Mayor Lauren Garrett, State Rep. Josh Elliott, State Rep. Laurie Sweet, and Hamden Police Department Social Worker Jessica Rizzo, along with Crystal Zukauskas, President of Eli’s Garden of Healing, announced that the State of Connecticut Community Investment Fund (CIF) had awarded a $250,000 planning grant to Hamden nonprofit Eli’s Garden of Healing.

Read more from the Hamden Police Department below:

Eli’s Garden of Healing was established in 2022 in response to the senseless murder of 15-year-old Hamden High School football player Elijah Gomez. Tragically, Gomez was killed while walking home from school on the Farmington Canal Trail in Hamden.

The nonprofit’s mission is to transform a former Winchester machine gun test firing range located at DeNicola Park in Hamden into a $1.7 million healing garden. This garden will serve as a sanctuary for individuals affected by violence, providing a space for healing and hope.

The press conference celebrated the $250,000 CIF planning grant award and provided an overview of the critical Phase 1 work that the funding has facilitated. It also offered a glimpse into the long-term vision of creating a healing garden that will stand as a symbol of healing, hope, and peace for the entire region.

See also: Man Sentenced In Killing Of 15-Year-Old Hamden Student