Our Story

Rooted in Community,

Growing in Purpose

A healing space where love, legacy, and community come together to hold and transform what life has asked us to carry.

2022

Est. Ossining, NY

About Dream's Garden

A Land-Based
Healing Space

Established in 2022, Dream’s Garden (OCGDLC) is a land-based healing space in Ossining, New York, advancing a land-based trauma recovery model for healing and restoration. Our work addresses the growing need for accessible, culturally responsive, and community-centered approaches to mental health, trauma, and caregiver support.

We serve individuals and families navigating stress, grief, trauma, and life transitions, with a focus on communities historically impacted by systemic inequities and limited access to holistic care. Through structured, cohort-based and drop-in programming, we create safe environments for participants to reconnect with themselves, each other, and the land.

Horticultural Therapy

Supporting nervous system regulation through direct, intentional engagement with nature.

Nourishment & Ceremony

Honoring ancestral wisdom and collective ritual as pathways to restoration.

Grief Integration

Creating held space for grief and life transition within supportive community.

Storytelling

Amplifying lived experiences to support identity restoration and social connection.

Our Model & Impact

Culturally Grounded,
Outcomes-Driven

Our model integrates horticultural therapy, nourishment, ceremony, and storytelling to support nervous system regulation, grief integration, social connection, and identity restoration. By bridging ancestral knowledge with evidence-informed practice, we deliver services that are both culturally grounded and outcomes-driven

"Programs are designed to reduce isolation, improve emotional wellbeing, strengthen coping strategies, and increase access to supportive networks and resources."

We track participation, retention, and pre/post indicators related to stress, connection, and overall wellness to measure impact and inform continuous improvement.

Through partnerships, shared green space, and community-based delivery, Dream’s Garden operates as both a direct service provider and a scalable model for community wellness. Our work contributes to broader systems change by expanding how care is defined, delivered, and sustained.

Leadership

The Founders
Behind the Vision

Dream’s Garden is led by two visionary women committed to transforming how communities access healing and care.

Diana E. Lemon

Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer

Diana E. Lemon is a visionary leader, public health advocate, and systems strategist whose work transforms lived experience into meaningful, community-centered change. As Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Dream’s Garden OCGDLC, she guides the organization’s strategic direction, shaping a model that bridges…

Lauren Green

Co-Founder and Executive Director

Lauren Green is a master practitioner, regenerative systems thinker, and integrative healing leader whose work expands how wellness is experienced, practiced, and sustained within community. As Co-Founder and Executive Director of Dream’s Garden OCGDLC, she co-leads the development and implementation…

Dream Ioni Shepherd

Legacy Founder

Dream Ioni Shepherd is the Legacy Founder of Dream’s Garden, an enduring force whose life continues to shape vision, purpose, and possibility. Though her time on this earth was brief, her impact was expansive, leaving behind a blueprint of courage, advocacy, and unwavering commitment to others…