Marselaine (Marsy) Clarke- Co-founder of Geranium Junction
1981- Geranium Junction : Geranium Junction was founded as a sheltered horticulture workshop, under the Texas Rehabilitation Commission, that helped provide employment to citizens in the community that were otherwise unemployable.
She served as chair of the Board of Geranium Junction as it evolved over time into Junction Five O Five (J5O5). J5O5 facilitates the employment of approximately 95 disabled citizens in the mainstream workforce in BCS businesses. Through one-on-one engagements with business people, she promoted the potential of people with disabilities and helped secure their employment. She contributed to the planning and implementation of several state and locally sponsored activities that employed disabled citizens such as the mobile crews for landscaping roadside parks and recycling operations at city and county levels. Marsy was also involved in the planning that led to the set-aside of a block of apartments for disabled citizens that provided independent living for them under a HUD driven initiative.
Marsy had a calling for helping people with disabilities achieve their maximum potential and become useful community citizens. She recognized a need for these citizens to integrate into the community and got straight to work. She was co-founder of Geranium Junction in 1981, a sheltered horticulture workshop, under the Texas Rehabilitation Commission, that employed citizens that were otherwise unemployable.
She was involved in the organization of the J5O5 Foundation. The Foundation sponsors a fundraising event, Harvest Moon. Harvest Moon not only raises funds for J5O5, it provides awareness of the contribution to our community that is being made by citizens with disabilities.
She had a goal that consisted of advocating for the equal opportunity of those with disabilities and helping them reach goals far beyond the limitations given to them. She assisted with engaging individuals and helping employ them into becoming members of the community that were useful and as independent as possible. Marsy passed away in 2020 at the age of 89. We are fortunate to have her advocacy and voice that broke through barriers that changed lives of community members that we still employ today. She will be greatly missed.
Consumer in front of Geranium Junction Building
