Georgina Gomez has always wanted a garden of her own, and 30 volunteers made her dream blossom. Georgina, who's battling leukemia, turned 13 Saturday.

Gomez said, “This is like the perfect birthday present I've ever had.”

Many of the volunteers were from Americorps, and began work outside Georgina's San Elizario home early Saturday morning. They planted about 15 trees, installed a flagstone walkway, and even created a prayer garden where Georgina can sit and enjoy the quiet beauty of the outdoors.

"It feels very good to be able to help and be part of this, and we can see there is a lot of people that are willing to help,” said Mayela Mejia, a volunteer.

Georgina even got to put her handprints in the cement, which she hopes will serve as a permanent reminder of her gratitude to everyone who chipped in.

Georgina added, “I'm very happy to have a garden, and I just want to thank everybody that gave this day, that gave time to put in what they put in and, well it just makes me very happy.”

Volunteers hope this garden will always bring a smile to Georgina, a girl still undergoing regular chemotherapy and grateful for a life blooming with people who care.

“What else can I wish for?” Georgina asked. “I have a beautiful garden, a beautiful family, beautiful friends, that's all I need.”

Georgina's dream still isn't quite finished.

Volunteers are still looking for someone to donate a bench with her name engraved on it.

If you'd like to help, you can call the Upper Rio Grande Water Conservation Corps at 915-549-2021.