Join the Gainesville Garden Club for a Special Children’s Interactive Reading Event with Miss Florida 2025 & Author, Paris Richardson!

What To Know

DATE: 7 June 2026

TIME: 1-3pm

FREE event, but RSVP required!

• 1 FREE book per family

• Free activity book sheets for each child in attendance

• Guided potted planting for children

• Tour the GGC gardens

First 50 RSVPs will receive FREE book. Additional books will be available for sale at event.

Supporting the C.R.O.W.N. of Health initiative, the Gainesville Garden Club joins Paris Richardson, reigning Miss Florida 2025 and Author of "The Not-So-Perfect Garden Project” to promote community food-wealth.

Educators are welcome to attend, observe and discuss possible school garden or garden-related activity opportunities with GGC after program.

About Paris Richardson

Author • Health Advocate • Former UF Cheerleader

Miss Florida 2025, Paris Richardson is the founder of C.R.O.W.N. of Health, a statewide initiative rooted in her early work as a student leader. She began her journey at Jean Ribault High School in Jacksonville, where she co-founded Get R.A.W. (Ribault Access & Wellness), the first student-led advisory board for a school-based health center in Duval County. Her advocacy led her to the national stage, where she represented her school at the National School-Based Health Care Conference and championed H.R. 2075, a bill that supports school-based health services nationwide.

That experience inspired the creation of C.R.O.W.N. of Health, which stands for:

Community, Research, Outreach, Wellness, and Nutrition. C.RO.W.N. is a prevention-focused initiative designed to make wellness accessible and actionable across Florida.

Paris has brought this mission to life through school visits, community events, and creative partnerships. She authored The Not-So-Perfect Garden Project, an Amazon # 1 New Release in Children’s Gardening, and donates proceeds from every book sold to Feeding Northeast Florida. This initiative has helped to fund over 1,600 meals for families across eight counties. The book was also sponsored by PBS KIDS, which donated 100+ copies to Head Start classrooms and featured the project on their national podcast.

A proud Double Gator, Paris earned both her Bachelor of Public Health and Master of Health Administration from the University of Florida. She served as a four-year UF Cheerleader, cheering at over 300 games, including the 2025 Men’s Basketball National Championship, and was inducted into the UF Hall of Fame and Florida Blue Key. Her healthcare background includes research internships with UF Health and the Mayo Clinic, where she studied maternal health access and transplant evaluation tools, respectively, and presented her findings at a national conference in Madison, Wisconsin.

Having placed as the 2nd runner up at the Miss America Competition Paris now has been awarded over $64,000 in scholarships earned through the Miss America Opportunity, Paris is now using her platform to scale C.R.O.W.N. of Health statewide, partnering with schools, nonprofits, and mission-driven brands to inspire the next generation of health leaders.