Happy 2020! January is a time of new beginnings — new board members, new grants, new programs, and new recognitions.
In December, Neal Zimmermann, Co-Chair of our Board of Trustees, retired from our board after serving for 12 years. We also welcomed three new board members: Suzy Dyer of Parker Family Health Center Inc, Suzanne Nutt of Suzanne Nutt Landscapes, and Eugene Fredua-Aygeman of Prudential Financial, Inc. We wish Neal a fulfilled retirement and are energized to see what these new board members bring to the table.
Thanks to the expert planning of Sarah O’Leary (Director of Youth & Family Education), we have been awarded a Leap into Science Week Mini-Grant! With the funding from this grant, the Conservancy will present a Leap into Science program at the Springfield Branch Library in Newark. Her program delves into the mechanics of balance and the wind culminating in the creation of mobiles.
We partnered with Rutgers University – Newark to host two Federal Work Study students. One student, Ely, works in our Urban Farming department and has been learning the ins-and-outs of growing food in an urban setting. She’s also been using her graphic design knowledge to create flyers for the Plot It Fresh program and our education department. Jereece, our other work study student, is working with the education department to help with the Lead Safe Early Care program.
Speaking of the farm, the Hawthorne Avenue Farm was recently recognized as a Natural Bee Habitat by The Honeybee Conservancy! It's shaping up to be a wonderful year, and we hope that you'll stop by to visit when everything starts warming up.
