The Bellevue Botanical Garden Society has received a $500,000 pledge from the PJA Foundation for the garden’s Growing a Living Legacy Capital Campaign. David Ketter, president of the PJA Foundation, announced the pledge following a hard hat tour of the new facilities on April 13.

“The foundation wants to support projects that have permanence and promote education and outreach and this is just such a project,” said Ketter. “We are thrilled to be able to contribute to the Growing a Living Legacy campaign and help the Garden grow.”

Growing a Living Legacy is an $11 million campaign to fund construction of a new education and visitor center, expanded parking area, and new gardens at the Bellevue Botanical Garden.

“We are ecstatic to receive this major pledge from the PJA Foundation,” said Denise Lane, chair of the Bellevue Botanical Garden Society’s Capital Campaign Committee. “Our new buildings will open to the public on June 14 and we are now in the home stretch of our capital campaign. Words cannot express our gratitude for this gift, which has put us much closer to our final goal.”

The PJA Foundation is dedicated to promoting the love of horticulture in the general public. The foundation’s longstanding support of the Bellevue Botanical Garden has been instrumental in establishing the garden attract more than 300,000 visitors each year.

Over the years, grants from the PJA Foundation have supported education and outreach programs and many garden development projects including way finding and interpretation signs, a plant database, and enhancements to the Rock Garden and Ground Cover Garden. In addition, a previous grant from The PJA Foundation funded The Ravine Experience….Take a Walk on the Wild Side, located in the most pristine, native woodland area of the garden and featuring a 150-foot suspension bridge spanning the ravine.

The June 14 grand opening of the new facility will include a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. and an open house from 11a.m. to 4 p.m.