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)

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.

We want Partners!

Do you represent, or know of, a community-focused public organization within or near the Doan Brook watershed? If so, we’d love to hear from you! Organizations that would benefit from or are interested in hosting a rain garden are encouraged to apply using the form above.

For questions about the program, what we offer our partners, and how to get involved, contact alex@dbwp.org. Together, we can create greener spaces, cleaner water, and healthier communities!

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.