DERRY, NH – What if you heard about a simple way to escape the noise and demands of daily life, to drop into lush green and flowering nature within a short drive? Oh, and what if that setting also embraced a chance to watch an artist at work and listen to local musicians?
If, like me, you were already 98 percent on board by this point, then consider this: There are cool raffles and excellent refreshments involved in this scenario. Yes, a close-to-Edenic setting – with petit fours. Count me in.
Welcome to the first-ever Five Senses Tour to benefit Community Caregivers of Greater Derry, to be held July 12-13, 2025, in the private Tiffany Gardens in Londonderry, formerly a bed and breakfast.
Garden owners Kathy and Jim McMahon give real meaning to the notion of “labor of love,” in their tending of this acre that fans out into a bazillion shades of green dotted with flowering plants, more than 20 garden beds, rock walls, and all manner of escapist vistas.
If you like a good metaphor, then consider this: The place came to be when the McMahon nest emptied … and then a septic tank needed relocation. Two things that have brought many a strong person to their knees.
“We raised three kids here; the last one left town in about 1996,” says Kathy McMahon. “We’d been busy parents with very busy kids – you know how it is, the car was always going in and out of the driveway.” In those days, she says, “the place was jammed with trees that kept things dark. “There were big pines, a culvert stream running under the road. It was always muddy and there was not much going on. Just a little patch of grass and some bushes,” she says. Then a kitchen renovation led to the need to move the septic tank. “I thought, well, why not put in a little garden?” McMahon remembers. “Then it was a trellis, a circle of rocks…and I was hooked.”
Fast-forward to today. “This garden, it really has something magical,” says Cindee Tanuma, executive director of Community Caregivers. “One tree has a climbing hydrangea that crests over 50 feet – it’s like Jack in the Beanstalk!” There’s a stillness to it, she says, that is transporting, both restful and exhilarating.
The event in July came about because the McMahons wanted to bring together two of their favorite things – their garden and the work of Community Caregivers. The couple is among the more than 400 volunteers that keep this nonprofit humming. Dating back to 1988, the organization now serves clients (most of whom are elderly) in seven area towns (Chester, Danville, Derry, Hampstead, Londonderry, Sandown, and Windham), providing transportation to medical appointments, as well as friendly visits, help with grocery shopping, errands, light housekeeping, and other chores that allow folks to remain living independently in their homes.
Based on conversations with people on both sides of the equation, I can say that the loyalty of volunteers and the gratitude of clients is remarkably strong. The fact that the services are all free of charge makes it all the more impressive. Let me repeat that: Free of charge. All of it.
There’s even more to admire about Community Caregivers: Its Loaner’s Closet. Started 22 years ago, this (also free) service loans out or gives away upwards of 4,700 items a year that help with mobility, bathing and toileting, from wheelchairs and canes to shower chairs and commodes. The items are repaired and sanitized between uses and there is steady traffic of much-needed items in and out the doors at the agency’s offices in Derry.
There’s much about this volunteer and equipment network that goes beyond financial savings for recipients. It’s not possible to put a price on kindness and practical, respectful help tied to independence. But the real-world math is stunning. Each area of service, the volunteer drives and the Loaner’s Closet equipment offerings, would cost close to a million dollars if they were replicated in the for-profit universe. Which, of course, they are not.
Support for all this comes from a small staff, volunteers, individual donors, foundations, grants and the seven towns that wisely (and humanely) support their residents.
And of course, there are regular creative fundraisers to bring in money, attract volunteers, and raise awareness of the growing needs in our communities. The Five Senses at Tiffany Gardens event will be an important part of all of this, and it has a big crowd of sponsors, let by the Derry Rotary Club and M&T Bank.
So, in addition to its potential for quiet reflection, chances to revel in music, art, and dessert treats, this two-day event is a way to be part of some very good work that in its own way…is magical.
The $20 all-inclusive tickets to the Tiffany Gardens event at 15 King John Drive, Londonderry, on July 12 and July 13, may be purchased at the site on the days of the event or online through Community Caregivers of Greater Derry’s event page. Each ticket covers admission on either day. Sorry, no refunds or pets. Questions: [email protected] or (603)432-0877 x 4. Until then, check out the cool drone view of the gardens by Jay Stone!)
Kimberly Marlowe Hartnett in a Manchester-based author, teacher, and journalist.