Planting Possibility Through Partnership

Eye Discover values its partnerships with community supporters who show up for our young people in various ways. From leading workshops to answering questions as guest speakers, these connections help inspire creativity and build resilience among the youth we serve.

For Jon Perdomo, co-founder of Plant Man P, working with young people is about more than teaching plant care; it's about showing them how many possibilities there are and helping them see new life-long pathways for themselves.

Like many others, his path wasn't linear. What started as a way to brighten up his apartment with plants evolved into a business, and eventually into opportunities to teach and connect with others in the L.A. community.

His first experience working with youth came before Eye Discover, during a community event at Gloria Molina Grand Park, where more than 40 kids participated in his Paint & Pot activity. The experience became a turning point, making him realize he wanted to continue working with young people while spreading his love for plants.

From there, he began seeking opportunities to stay connected to that work, which eventually led to a budding partnership with Eye Discover.

Photos courtesy of Jon Perdomo

"I've always wanted to keep working with kids," Jon shared. "It's all about showing them there's other options."

In partnership with Eye Discover, Jon and his wife, Jerrilyn, brought a Paint & Pot Workshop to students in South Los Angeles. Together, they created a space where creativity and learning happened side by side as students painted their own pots, then learned how to repot and care for a plant. But the real lessons went far beyond that.

"While your plant is growing, you're learning something too: patience, responsibility, and how to take care of something," he said. "If you neglect the plant, it'll die, so it gives them a sense of responsibility."

That’s what makes hands-on experiences like these so important. Students aren’t just being told something, they’re actually experiencing it for themselves.

Jon also understands how powerful it is for young people to see someone who reflects them, not just in appearance, but in lived experience and what feels possible. In communities where exposure to different paths can feel limited or out of reach, that representation matters as it expands what students believe is possible for themselves.

"A lot of kids look like me," he said. "So hopefully it sparks something, like, 'I can do it too.'"

For Jon, that passion was sparked during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he leaned fully into Plant Man P—learning through online resources, trial and error, and experience, while building something of his own. By 2022, he and his wife were running Plant Man P and their online shop full-time.

Now, he teaches others those same lessons through plants. His approach also challenges assumptions, that plant care, creativity, and entrepreneurship aren't limited to one type of person or path, something students experience firsthand through the way he teaches and shares his journey.

"It's for everybody," he said. "You just have to be exposed to it."

And through his work, Jon is planting more than seeds. He’s changing the narrative.

"Working with kids is more rewarding than anything," said Jon, who hopes to instill that, like planting — and life — mistakes happen, things get messy, and growth takes time, but that's part of the process "It's important to just plant the seed… because it's so rewarding."

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