20-year-old’s green thumb gives a lesson in abilities
It's planting season in Iowa, a time when green-thumb gardeners and farmers alike get excited.
This Mother's Day weekend, something else is growing in a Marion County greenhouse run by a 20-year-old.
Marissa Schletzbaum’s parents noticed she loved two things growing up: getting her fingers dirty and making people smile.
“Sometimes it's hard to figure out, with someone like Marissa, what is the best,” Roger Schletzbaum said.
So, her dad retired early, her mom did the homework and together they invested thousands in a dream for their daughter.
“You just try and do the best for all of your kids so they can grow and develop,” Maureen Schletzbaum said.
Marissa is in her second spring running Straw Hat Farms in Pleasantville, which is incredible given her abilities in third grade.
“They were working on counting to 100 with her and she was having trouble with 15. Couldn't get past 15,” Roger Schletzbaum said.
Now, customers are keeping her specially designed iPad cash register busy. Marissa’s customers are picking up more than just petunias -- they’re also getting a lesson in abilities.
“The more they're exposed to it, the more they get it. The more she's exposed to it, the more she gets it,” Roger Schletzbaum said.
Now that she's the boss, Marissa could have bought her mom a fancy purse or a vacuum cleaner for Mother’s Day. Instead, she gave her mom all she really wanted: flowers and a genuine smile, which lets her known her girl is truly happy.
Marissa's Straw Hat Farms is open through the month of May, and then they'll start visiting some farmers’ markets around Marion County.