24/06/2025
“Grow & Glow” Brings Literacy to Life in Douglasville One Seed, One Story at a Time
By Janelle Harper, Community Features Journalist – 20 Years in the Field
Douglasville, GA – June 23, 2025
On a sunny Monday afternoon, Deer Lick Park bloomed with the sounds of children’s laughter, storytelling, and curiosity. From 2:00–4:00 p.m., families gathered for the latest initiative by Green Thumb Adventures Inc., hosted by none other than Shiba Shiba the Green Thumb Diva, a powerhouse in agriculture education and media.
The event, Grow & Glow, was more than an afternoon in the park, it was a purposeful, joy-filled push for agricultural literacy. From face painting and storytime to hands-on weather talks and garden fun, every element was rooted in one woman’s mission to ensure children know where their food comes from, and what to do with it once it grows.
🌱 Literacy Took Center Stage
The day’s featured reader, Ms. Johns, brought magic to The Wonder of Thunder by Sharon Purtill, a beautifully illustrated children’s book best suited for ages 3–6. With themes of weather, rhythm, and imagination, the book captivated young listeners.
Parents looked on as wide-eyed little ones learned to connect the sounds of thunder with the world around them, making the ties between weather and agriculture more tangible than ever.
🎨 Face Painting and Freestyle Creativity
Mr. McMeen, the event’s face painting artist, wowed the crowd with his freehand skill. He didn’t follow a strict menu, he painted whatever the children asked for, and he did it well.
👩🏽🌾 A Mission That Started with a Broken System
For Shiba Shiba the Green Thumb Diva, this isn’t just programming, it’s personal. Known for her work as a certified agriculture teacher, farmer (Fitzgerald’s Garden of Goodies LLC), award-winning radio host, and author of two garden books, she has long used her voice to champion agriculture in classrooms and beyond. But this next chapter, agricultural literacy, was birthed out of heartbreak. “At my last school, there was no library,” she shared. “I could hear the struggle when my students read. I could see it in the test scores. I knew something had to be done.” And so she did. While “smashing everything she can” in the agriculture field, Shiba added literacy to her already full plate. Her nonprofit, Green Thumb Adventures Inc., is now reaching children where they are, parks, classrooms, and community events, with garden-based literacy, science, and culture.
📣 Voices from the Village
Erika Jones, who brought her two sons and newborn baby, said, “We really enjoyed ourselves. I can see this getting bigger and bigger.”
Bre Walls, a mother of three girls, added, “Mrs. Fitzgerald’s passion for agriculture literacy is a gift to my children. They loved when Ms. Johns read to them.”
These are more than compliments, they’re affirmations of a movement.
📆 What’s Next
The buzz isn’t over. Shiba Shiba the Green Thumb Diva will be announcing another ag-literacy event in just two weeks at a new location. With a fresh, hands-on activity from Green Thumb Adventures Inc., she plans to reach even more families and young minds. Details will be available soon on her social media platforms and Eventbrite.
🌾 As she famously said,
“We can’t talk about agriculture without talking about access, access to land, access to food, access to knowledge.”
And in that spirit, Grow & Glow wasn’t just an event. It was a classroom under the clouds. A library beneath the trees. A garden of possibility planted right in the hearts of Douglasville’s youth.
Stay tuned. This is only the beginning.
