Rooted in Action. Rising for Change.

What is Brook and Bloom?

Brook and Bloom is a youth volunteer and leadership program where everyone belongs. Rooted in environmental justice, the program empowers young professionals to raise their voices and take action for our environment and our communities.

Together, Brook & Bloom will work to address the ongoing impacts of environmental injustice across Cleveland’s eastside neighborhoods, including stormwater flooding, limited green infrastructure, and a lack of youth workforce opportunities in green economies.

“Industries that provide products or services related to renewable energy, increased energy efficiency, clean transportation and fuels, agriculture and natural resource conservation, and pollution prevention or environmental cleanup.”

From the Michigan Green Jobs Report (Michigan Department of Energy, Labor & Economic Growth)

This program offers local youth the opportunity to collaborate with peers, community volunteers, and staff from DBWP to design, install, and maintain rain gardens across our communities. These rain gardens will reduce polluted runoff, improve water quality, enhance biodiversity, and expand access to nature.

Our gardens will be installed at public community-serving sites such as churches, schools, after-school centers, parks, and nonprofit organizations.

If you or someone you know is passionate about hands-on environmental work with a visible difference in your neighborhood, this is the chance to get involved! The program is currently recruiting partner organizations and participants for its upcoming 2026 program.

Click here to view a full list of Brook and Bloom rain gardens (Coming Soon)

We Want Partners!

How We Serve You!

What Do We Offer Our Youth?

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• Volunteer Service Hours
• Leadership Experience
• Master Rain Gardener Certification
• Stipend Awarded For a Participant’s Dedication to Protecting The Doan Brook
• Career Development In Green Economies
• A Safe Space to Collaborate And Connect With Peers From Across Cleveland’s East Side

What Do We Offer Our Partners?

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• A Rain Garden For Your Organization At No Cost
• 2 Years of Maintenance With Plans to Continue
• An Opportunity to Increase Greenspace With Native Plants in Your Neighborhood
• A Stipend Awarded to Adult Mentors From Our Partner Organizations For Their Dedication to Protecting the Doan Brook

Program participants can be awarded a stipend for their efforts towards the program and preservation of our ecosystems on Cleveland’s East Side. Make sure to check out this Brook & Bloom 1-pager for more information on the program.

If you or someone you know is passionate about hands-on environmental work with a visible difference in your neighborhood, this is the chance to get involved! The program is currently recruiting partner organizations and participants for its upcoming 2026 program.

Our Timeline.

With your assistance, this program will install 10 rain gardens at public community-facing locations between 2025 and 2027. The program is made up of three cohorts, each responsible for the design, construction and maintenance of a number of rain gardens.

Cohort Three:

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Responsible for installing and maintaining 4 rain gardens

• Active: February-June 2027
• Enrollment begins: December 1st, 2026
• Online course begins: March 2027
• Installation: May-June 2027
• Maintenance: June and September 2027
  • More maintenance dates to come

Roles and Responsibilities.

Each of our volunteer positions within Brook and Bloom fills a different but vital role. Without the help of our Volunteer Crew Leaders, Crew Members, Adult Mentors, and Master Rain Gardeners, we would not be able to achieve a fraction of what this program provides for our communities!

Below is the breakdown of the various expected roles and responsibilities for each volunteer, as well as the amount of stipend that can be awarded.

 Volunteer Crew Leader

To be eligible to receive an awarded stipend and certificate, a B&B Volunteer Crew Leader is recommended to fulfill the following roles and responsibilities:

• Act as a B&B program advocate to recruit several program participants (Crew Members) to join you in the program and assist in tasks like rain garden installation and maintenance. 
• Enroll in and complete the online asynchronous Master Rain Gardener (MRG) program along with other B&B Crew Leaders (and optional crew members).
  • This course is estimated to contain 1-3 hours of work each week over the period of 6 weeks. 
• Co-lead the design of (at least) one rain garden with assistance from DBWP staff, MRG’s and peers.
• Co-lead the installation of (at least) one rain garden with assistance from DBWP staff, MRG’s, and peers.
• Co-lead (At least) two scheduled maintenance days with the assistance of DBWP staff, MRG’s, and peers.
• Complete all DBWP material provided in the B&B Google Classroom
  • Estimated to be approximately 30 minutes of content a week over at least 6 weeks.

 Volunteer Crew Leader Stipend

Along with the other volunteer positions within the B&B program, volunteer Crew Leaders are awarded a stipend for their service to the B&B program. Below is the breakdown of the various amounts that can be awarded to an individual:

• Completion of the MRG program and successful installation of a rain garden: $200
• Leading a maintenance event at a rain garden: $125

Any participant in the B&B program is eligible to be awarded up to (and not exceeding) $599 in stipends. It is expected that Crew Leaders participate in one installation ($200) and two maintenance days ($125) for a total of $450. An additional stipend may be awarded to volunteers who engage in additional program-related events (installation and maintenance) outside the recommended number.

 Volunteer Crew Member

To be eligible to receive an awarded stipend and certificate, a B&B Volunteer Crew Member is recommended to fulfill the following roles and responsibilities:

• Attend (at least) one rain garden installation 
• Attend (at least) two maintenance days
• Complete the DBWP material provided in the B&B Google Classroom
  • Estimated to take less than 30 minutes per week to complete
• (Optional) Enroll and complete the online asynchronous Master Rain Gardener (MRG) program along with other B&B Crew Leaders (and optional crew members).
  • This course is estimated to contain 1-3 hours of work each week over the period of 6 weeks. 

 Volunteer Crew Member Stipend

Along with the other volunteer positions within the B&B program, volunteer Crew Members are awarded a stipend for their service to the B&B program. Below is the breakdown of the various amounts that can be awarded to an individual:

• Attending the installation of a rain garden: $50
• Attending a maintenance event at a rain garden: $50

Any participant in the B&B program is eligible to be awarded up to (and not exceeding) $599 in stipends. It is expected that Crew Members participate in one installation ($50) and two maintenance days ($50) for a total of $150. An additional stipend may be awarded to volunteers who engage in additional program-related events (installation and maintenance) outside the recommended number.  

Volunteer Adult Mentor

It is recommended that a B&B Volunteer Adult Mentor hold and fulfill the following roles and responsibilities to be awarded a stipend.

• Act as a point of contact between the DBWP and your organization
• Help to coordinate dates for rain garden installation and maintenance 
• Send DBWP quarterly updates on the status of the garden, including images and maintenance requirements 
• Help DBWP spread the word about the B&B Program to the community around your organization
• Be present and assist with one rain garden installation at your organization
• Be present and assist with two maintenance days at your organization

 Volunteer Adult Mentor Stipend

Along with the other volunteer positions within the B&B program, volunteer Adult Mentors are awarded a stipend for their service to the B&B program. Below is the breakdown of the various amounts that can be awarded to an individual:

• A Yealy stipend of $200

Any participant in the B&B program is eligible to be awarded up to (and not exceeding) $599 in stipends. It is expected that Adult Mentors have active participation at B&B events, such as installation and maintenance days with their organization, to receive the annual stipend amount of $200. 

Volunteer Master Rain Gardener

Our Volunteer Master Rain Gardener position is for Master Rain Gardeners in Northeast Ohio, preferably for around the Doan Brook Watershed or other local watersheds on the East Side of Cleveland. We ask that our Volunteer Master Rain Gardeners assist us with the following tasks to be awarded a stipend.

• Provide advice and oversight during the installation and maintenance of a rain garden
• Help DBWP to spread the word about the B&B Program to our communities

 Volunteer Master Rain Gardener Stipend

Along with the other volunteer positions within the B&B program, Volunteer Master Rain Gardeners are rewarded a stipend for their service to the B&B program

• $200 per garden (limit of one gardens per volunteer)

Any participant in the B&B program is eligible to be awarded up to (and not exceeding) $599 in stipends.

Thank you to our Granter!

This program is funded through the Ohio Lake Erie Commission (OLEC). OLEC provides pass-through Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) support through the Lake Erie Community Grant (LECG), which funds projects that address key environmental challenges. These grants help advance meaningful Lake Erie restoration efforts and strengthen Great Lakes education throughout the communities of Ohio’s Lake Erie watershed.