His uncle was a farmer. “I was able to see that and appreciate that,” Mr. Caison says. Then his sister started growing and selling food in the neighborhood. Mr. Caison was also inspired by a hard time in his life. He was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of 19 and was given three months to live. But, he says, he told himself: “I am going to beat cancer. I am going to live.” He says the experience taught him the importance of having a good attitude, something that helps him every day. As a community organizer, he also follows some advice he was once given: “Make sure you pay close attention to people you meet.” “Someone may come to you claiming, ‘I got this idea.’ Always consider the idea or you might miss out,” he says. Mr. Caison says he gets his motivation from the North Philadelphia community he works in. “We’ve got good hearts. We’re creative, we dream, we work hard, we inspire each other.” He created the North Philly Peace Park because he thought the community needed a garden and safe gathering place, especially as it got harder for kids to play outside because of gun violence. The original Peace Park was at 24th and Bolton Streets, but it had to shut down in 2015. People Tommy Joshua Caison Bringing a neighborhood closer together Tommy Joshua Caison is a commu- nity organizer who specializes in urban gardening. He built North Philly Peace Park as a way to bring his neighbor- hood together. When he was younger he realized he had a knack for organizing projects, joining with his friends to build basketball courts using milk crates for baskets. Mr. Caison grew up in North Philadelphia and looks back fondly on that time of his life. “I just remember going outside a lot. ... I had a good time growing up in Philadelphia. Lots of places to explore, and I had a very supportive family,” he says. “My mother was a big inspiration to me: how she raised us, what she stood for, the types of standards she set for school.” Seeing his mother work hard made him determined to do something with his life. “I was going to make my way when there was no way,” he says. His interest in farming started when he traveled in the summers to Greensboro, N.C., to visit relatives. 6