High 5 Inc. recently dedicated the new TRIDENT Memorial Garden during the nonprofit organization’s 60th anniversary celebration.
The garden was dedicated to Candy Corsi, former Training and Recreation for the Intellectually Disabled Enabling their Natural Talents (TRIDENT) director, on May 20. Corsi became the director in 2011 and built the special needs education program into what it is today.
Her two sons are still active members of the TRIDENT program, but, after her death in 2021, the organization wanted a way to remember her legacy.
“[The garden was built] to honor and remember an amazing woman with a huge heart that touched the lives of everyone she met,” said High 5 Inc. CEO Chuck Burgess.
The memorial garden is located in High 5 Inc.’s back fields by its 25-meter pool. The garden is filled with flowers, water features, gazebos and picnic tables. Burgess and current TRIDENT director Joe Somers came up with the idea for the memorial garden to involve their special needs members.
“This project began back in January with the planning phase and will be a living, ongoing garden that will be continuously improved by the TRIDENT Team,” said Burgess.
The TRIDENT Team, Brandon Leadership Class of 2023 and other members of the High 5 team worked to create the memorial garden. Community donations from Rivard Buick GMC, Home Depot, Kerby’s Nursery and Rotary Club of Brandon supported the team during the five months of construction.
The TRIDENT Team is a daily program for adults with special abilities. The program acknowledges that some students may not be able to live independently, but High 5 and TRIDENT can help them maximize their strengths.
Through the program, special needs kids and adults have the opportunity to participate in social, educational and recreational activities, like building High 5’s first memorial garden.
High 5 Inc. is a nonprofit organization that serves local adults and kids by positively impacting their mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing at their location off Highway 60 in Brandon. For more information on High 5 or its TRIDENT program, contact memberservices@high5inc.org or call 813-689-0908.
