CV’s Greenhouse Manager and His Mission to Help Youth Grow
April 2025
For much of his life, Dennis Oliphant, Manager of the Greenhouse at The Children’s Village, (CV), never knew he had a green thumb.
“My dad was a mechanic. And I served in the military, overseeing repairs of ejection seats on F-15s and F-16s. You wouldn’t think that would translate to gardening,” he muses. But he says that this unlikely background gave him crucial experience working in and managing a greenhouse. “Being raised by a mechanic, I saw what you can do with your hands,” he recalls. “And I definitely learned a lot supervising repairs on the jets. It taught me the importance of project management and leadership – because those ejection seats, they’re the one thing that cannot fail.” With these roots, he was able to grow a career in horticulture and botany. And at CV’s Dobb’s Ferry Campus, he has helped the Greenhouse bear fruit not just for the youth at CV, but for the whole community.
His journey on this path started before he came to CV, shortly after he was discharged from the military and transitioned to civilian life. He secured a job at a Connecticut nonprofit that provided services to adults on the autism spectrum. He supervised clients’ community cleanup efforts, teaching them (and himself) how to landscape. He built on those skills at his next position, his first greenhouse job at a rehabilitation facility.
After that, he found The Children’s Village. Leveraging his unique experiences, initially, he took on the role of Supervisor at our Dobb’s Ferry Greenhouse, the 1,000 square foot, climate-controlled greenery and garden. It fosters everything from cabbage to basil to pansies to violets. He’s the only full-time staffer – but that doesn’t mean he’s without a team. He began his work focusing on younger children at CV, teaching them the basics: how to pot plants and how the germination process works. He has seen the impact this connection with nature can have for youth who have dealt with strife and instability. “I have seen some kids, they just want to spend all day in the greenhouse. It’s clear that when they’re here, they’re feeling peace,” he observes.
CV youth also get to see how their work benefits others. For the upcoming Earth Day celebration along Waterfront Park, these young gardeners will contribute to the event by displaying plants and produce against the scenic backdrop of the Hudson River. Similarly, for the annual book sale with the Dobb’s Ferry library, CV youth have the opportunity to beautify the event with their flowers. And on a more regular basis, they sell their produce to the public at an on-campus farmer’s market.
What’s more, they also bring their veggies and herbs to the Cafe Lanza on campus. The Cafe is run by our in-house Chef, Chef Jason, and staffed by CV youth. With these homegrown ingredients, Chef Jason and his team cook for their peers, serving them garden-to-table meals. “It all shows them that what they grow, it has value,” he says earnestly.
Building upon these successes, Dennis’s career here has grown, and he has assumed more responsibilities, being promoted from Supervisor to Greenhouse Manager. He crafts work plans for teenagers at CV – his intern team – to contribute to the garden. He walks them through more complex tasks, testing their dexterity and their eye for multiflower arrangements. Interns learn to put on safety gear to prune trees for health and aesthetics. And they pot plants for display in narrow sills, along towering columns, and at the campus entryway, greeting CV residents and staff with artful arrays.
Drawing from his experience in the military, he emphasizes etiquette and work-readiness to his interns. He instills in them a respect for their superiors and teaches them how proper attire and the use of appropriate language reflect positively on them. There is no nonsense in the greenhouse.“They’re learning accountability, to themselves and to others,” he says.
Today, on top of these sessions with youth and interns (and his routine maintenance duties), he manages our corporate volunteer teams, who come to CV’s campus for service days. Most recently, he has organized Morgan Stanley’s spring cleaning and woodchip distribution. He also collaborates with local suppliers to donate materials, bolstering our inventory. He gets bulbs donated from Color Blend, and secures other plants from the nearby Rosedale nursery.
It’s looking to be a fruitful spring. But what’s next for the G.I.-turned-Greenhouse-manager? “I recently got certified as an arborist, and I’m working on getting a master gardener’s degree at UConn,” he says proudly. “I want to learn everything I can. Because what I do here at CV – it’s a passion of mine.”
