Charlene Bowyer has always had a passion for gardening.

When the Pleasant Hills resident noticed that the American Legion Post 712 Memorial Garden leading into her beloved borough was overgrown, Bowyer knew she had find a way to make it better.

“That’s the main entrance into Pleasant Hills and as I was weeding there, there were people stopped at the light and a woman looked over and said ‘Look at that mess. This community must not think much of it,’ and that broke my heart. I thought it was disrespectful for the garden to look like that,” said Bowyer, president of the Pleasant Hills Garden Club.

The garden off Route 51 and Old Clairton Road was planted about 20 years ago and has been maintained by garden club members for years.

Bowyer began searching for money to bring the garden back to life.

“I started searching for grants last October and I had to compete with the 10 other garden clubs in the surrounding area and ones across the state,” Bowyer said.

The Pleasant Hills Garden Club was awarded a $2,000 grant by Iowa-based The Principal Financial Group Civic Development Grant Program, Let Freedom Ring Program and the National Garden Clubs, Inc.

Bowyer said the grant was established by the National Garden Clubs Inc. to bolster civic development nationally and to honor service men and women.

“We are pleased to once again work with the National Garden Clubs, Inc. to support these patriotic projects across the nation,” said Libby Jacobs, assistant director of The Principal Financial Group. ” ‘Let Freedom Ring Memorial Garden’ is an inspiring program that instills pride in our service people and pride in the community.”

The garden will be completely redone with new trees, plants and perennials. A brick walkway will lead into the garden and will circle around to the front of the memorial. The bricks will be engraved with the names of men and women who have served their country or the community of Pleasant Hills.

The project will cost about $30,000.

To help raise funds for the garden, Bowyer and the garden club are selling the bricks for $50 apiece.

“We need to sell about 400 bricks to have the rest of the money for the garden,” Bowyer said. “So far we have sold about 12 percent of what we need.”

Pleasant Hills groups such as the American Legion Post 712 have jumped on the garden’s bandwagon financially.

“We’re community oriented and we like to help the community,” said American Legion Post 712 Adjunct Bob Eassey. “The garden will make the veterans feel proud that the time they put in (in the service) was very much appreciated.”

Pennsylvania-American Water Company has donated the installation of a water line.

“We’ll be putting a meter tile in the garden and making a tap so that the folks who tend for the garden can water the plants and keep them healthy. This is a way to support a project that adds value to the community in the way of aesthetics and making an area more attractive and honoring people who have served in the armed forces,” Pennsylvania-American spokesman Phil Cynar said.

Bowyer hopes to have the project completed sometime next year.

For more information on how to purchase a brick, please contact Jan Nevling, garden club vice president at 412-655-4604 or Bowyer at 412-653-7627.