A testimonial from Karley Kindberg, Tri Cycle's first ever Programs Director:
For the past year and a half, I have been working for an organization called Tri Cycle Farms here in Fayetteville, AR. I discovered this organization when I moved to Fayetteville in the fall of 2017, almost a year after graduating from college, looking for more of a direction in life. I had been interested in and passionate about environmental and social justice issues for a long time and had been growing my interest in gardening and supporting local food systems. After volunteering for a few months at Tri Cycle, they had a position open for a part-time Arkansas GardenCorps member to work in the gardens part time from June-August of 2018. I excitedly applied, doubting my qualifications and experience, but knowing if I didn’t try, it would be a huge missed opportunity. Luckily, I had put in time as a volunteer and had begun developing relationships and trust with the organizers at Tri Cycle. I got the job and the rest is history.
Since the beginning of June 2018, my role and experience at Tri Cycle has grown and morphed into my dream job, along with all of its inevitable challenges. When my GardenCrops service term came to an end in the fall of last year, I applied to become the AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteer Coordinator. This flipped the script on what I was responsible for. Instead of working in the gardens where I took care of plants and worked with volunteers, I began learning about the administrative side of our nonprofit. I was excited and eager to learn the ins and outs of the nonprofit world and to figure out what more I could do to help. Through various circumstances, our anticipated team of 5 VISTAs dwindled down to just 1, giving me more hats to wear and more responsibilities. Throughout 2019, I worked closely with Don Bennett, Tri Cycle’s founder and director, as well as with Kelly Bassemier, Garden Coordinator. Our team of three has worked tirelessly over this past year to maintain our current programs while striving to reach for our goals as an organization. Despite all of this, we accomplished an immense amount with the help and support of countless volunteers, amazing board members and generous donors. (WOW so many amazing people in this community)
It’s been a whirlwind of a year, but now, here we are, at the end of my year of service as an AmeriCorps VISTA.
But it’s not over yet! Today marks my first day as Programs Director, the first ever paid position at Tri Cycle Farms! I am so excited to see what we accomplish in 2020 with a team of VISTAs, along with a renewed energy and spirit. This year will be another, even better year of serving our community members and I can’t wait to see what challenges and lessons it brings for all of us!
Tri Cycle’s mission is to grow community through soil as we steward food awareness, education and empowerment. We envision a world with food security, sovereignty and sustainability for all.
This organization has accomplished some amazing things in our community, but we still need more support. If you want to learn more about what we do, please visit our website at www.tricyclefarms.org, follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and consider becoming a monthly Sustaining Donor! Monthly gifts in ANY amount help us cover our operations costs, allowing us to feed our community members while offering numerous educational and empowerment opportunities for all ages! Sign up here: https://tricyclefarms.networkforgood.com/…/51691-be-a-tri-c…
Thanks everyone! Much love always!!!
