Garden fund sprouts from nurtured friendship

Collage image of Judy and Nicole with a garden inbetween them.

It was a friendship that blossomed into something wonderful. 

When Judy Jones and Nicole Moon met, they became fast friends. Both were artists and had the vision to make the world a more beautiful place. One of their many accomplishments together was building and caring for the Benton Harbor Arts District Garden. 

Judy and Nicole both died last year, barely three months apart, after battles with cancer. The legacy of the Benton Harbor Arts District Garden will live on through the Judy Jones & Nicole Moon Arts District Garden Support Fund at Berrien Community Foundation. 
Judy and Nicole crouched over pavement doing chalk art.

The fund was created by Judy’s sons Aaron, Sam and Ben Jones, and is supported by friends and family of the dynamic duo who want to honor them and keep the garden going and growing. The fund will help purchase the supplies needed to care for the garden, which is located across the street from the old Turner Building (now Ben’s Pretzels and apartments) and make sure it’s thriving and beautiful. 

It just makes sense that the lasting tribute to Judy and Nicole be in the Benton Harbor Arts District. They spent 15 years working in the garden to turn the old parking area into the beautiful space that passersby enjoy today. Judy was also instrumental in the launch of the Benton Harbor Arts District, envisioning a city being enhanced by the arts. Nicole was an accomplished artist and an avid nature lover. The garden is a work of art that they created together. 

“My mom and Nicole were best friends,” Aaron said. “They did everything together. I think this garden just embodies their friendship and the love they had for each other and for the community.” 

The goal is to grow the fund into an endowment that will provide for the care of the garden in perpetuity. Members of the Benton Harbor Arts Association, friends and neighbors will continue to be an integral part of maintaining the garden with the same volunteer spirit and determination that Nicole and Judy exemplified.

For more information about the fund or to donate, visit www.berriencommunity.org/BHArtsGarden or call Berrien Community Foundation at (269) 983-3304.