By Kami Danaei, Volunteer Spotlight Writer
Since 2013, Lindley Montoya has been a dedicated BCHD volunteer, making a lasting impact through her roles as both a Garden Angel and an Errand Volunteer. While she enjoys helping neighbors by delivering groceries, it’s her work in BCHD’s school gardens that has truly taken root.
After retiring from Northrop Grumman, Lindley knew she wanted to give back to her community. She volunteered with a few local organizations before discovering BCHD’s Garden Angels program while volunteering in her grandchildren’s classrooms. Today, with her grandkids attending Redondo Beach schools, she finds joy in helping create thriving outdoor classrooms where students can learn, explore, and grow.
Garden Angels help bring the LiveWell Kids program to life by caring for school gardens between classroom lessons. Throughout the year, Lindley weeds, waters, plants seedlings, and maintains the garden beds so they’re ready for students learning about nutrition, gardening, composting, and healthy eating.
One memory stands out to her. During a second-grade tasting lesson, a student confidently declared he didn’t like salads. After trying one made with ingredients harvested from the school garden, he asked for seconds and excitedly announced he was going to ask his family to make it at home. For Lindley, moments like that show how hands-on experiences can inspire healthy habits that extend far beyond the classroom.
BCHD’s Garden Angels supervisor, Mishell Balzer, says Lindley is someone the team can always count on. She frequently goes above and beyond, returning to school gardens on her own time to finish projects, caring for the worm bins at Tulita Elementary School each week, and stepping in wherever extra help is needed. “She’s reliable, hard-working, kind, and a key member of our Garden Angel group,” Mishell says. “She makes a big difference.”
This August, Lindley will serve as a volunteer lead during BCHD’s Volunteer Day, helping prepare school gardens for the upcoming school year. Volunteers work together to tackle larger projects—refreshing garden beds, replacing bark, replanting seedlings, and creating welcoming spaces for students to discover when they return in the fall.
For Lindley, volunteering has been just as rewarding as the service she provides. “I believe I get more out of these programs than I give,” she says. “I’ve made wonderful friends, learned new gardening skills and become part of a community that’s healthier and closer because of BCHD.”
