February 2011 Corpsmember of the Month

Keri Wray

Supervisor: Henry Wallace, Farm Crew Supervisor

Crew: Indian Valley Organic Farm & Garden

Length of time at CCNB: 1 year 7 months

Reason corpsmember was selected: Keri has been an outstanding member of the Farm crew. She has shown enduring dedication and hard work. She has worked at the Farm longer than any other corpsmember. Keri is reliable, always arriving on time for her work shifts. She is enthusiastic and quick to learn. Keri took lead on several projects. She led the farm’s film project – writing scripts, recruiting hosts, researching plant information, and coordinating with the videographer. Before recently leaving the Farm, Keri was the corpsmember managing nursery operations – following planting schedules, seeding, cleaning, and maintaining necessary greenhouse activities. She has always been agreeable to any task, willing to learn, willing to teach, and thorough in her work. Keri is a real asset and will be missed.

Skills training received at CCNB: Sowing, transplanting, and harvesting of a variety of organic vegetables and flowers. Also bed preparation, soil mixing, composting, Greenhouse Management, and Farmers Market Sales.

Leadership roles at CCNB: Photography & Video, Nursery Crew.

Favorite project: Working in the greenhouse and sowing flats of vegetables and flowers.

Favorite educational component: Getting to work with Wendy Johnson of Green Gulch Zen Center.

Favorite aspect of working at CCNB: Working outdoors and being part of a great team.

Future plans: She would like to continue to work within the Agricultural sector.

Prior to CCNB: Volunteer Coordinator for a non-profit.

Why they joined CCNB: The Indian Valley Organic Farm & Garden offered Keri a unique opportunity to gain experience in a growing field while continuing her education.

How CCNB has changed their life: Allowed her to explore and have a lot of new experiences, and opened doors for a new career path.

Life lessons learned: Patience. Be kind, we are all growing and learning in this life. .

Advice for young people: Do it! Expect to work hard, learn a lot, and meet some very interesting people.

Most important thing learned: Working at the Indian Valley Organic Farm & Garden really underscored the huge impact that agriculture has on our environment. It’s easy to open the refrigerator and not think about where our food comes from. But we all need to take a hard look at what we’re buying, and how our choices make a difference.