People

Welcoming new *cino staff: Brad

As the Summer begins to unoffically wind down and we are transitioning into new projects and landscapes

This week we are proud to introduce you to Brad Armstrong in our final AmeriCorps introduction.

Brad, a native of New Haven, CT  with the traveing heart of a pilgrim decided to work with *cino after searching for over decade for something that felt right.

“The short answer [on joining *cino] is that it’s a great mission driven organization doing work that matters. I’ve been looking for something like this to commit to and do vocationally, that combines community and sustainable practices with mission driven work. Community development is my jam.”

His decision to work with AmeriCorps came on the heels of the Coronavirus pandemic. Brad feels that ” serving others is the only thing that matters in this crazy world, and this is what I want to do personally and professionally” so a year with AmeriCorps felt like a solid choice.

During his year with AmeriCorps, Brad is working hard to complete some personal and professional goals. “I’m using this opportunity to get a Diploma in Permaculture, and I’m in an eco-spirituality/eco-psychology program called Seminary of the Wild. I value relationships, and although I never expected to find myself in Michigan I really like it so far, Three Rivers an amazing community and place, and I’m really excited to explore more of the Great Lakes region while I’m here.”

When not schemeing up ways to save the world, Brad enjoys music, especially DJ electronic dance styles, sustainability, food, cities, and wilderness. Also, he loves nature and outdoor sports like skiing and hiking. And animals, especially dogs.

Stop by this week at the market and say “howdy” to Brad while you are there.

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People

Welcoming new *cino staff: Melody

We are continuing our series of introductions to the newest members of our small but mighty organization here in Three Rivers.

Next up we have Melody Spencer.

Melody, most recently from Charotte, North Carolina, has always had a heart for helping others and a drive to find creative ways to do so. After spending over a decade a professional digital marketer, 2020 found her searching for something new.

“When COVID-19 hit, I suddenly found myself without a job (due to lack of funding in the non-profit sector) and a place to live. I had always had an interest in AmeriCorps positions but the timing for them never felt right. It felt like the Universe suddenly gave me permission to pursue this dream.”

Melody chose to work with *cino because of their focus on community development, creativity and sustainability. She also felt a distinct pull towards a new place (and a new state!) full of a vibrant community in which she could become rooted in.

“After the craziness of the past couple of years, now coupled with the pandemic, I was beyond ready for a fresh, new start. My experience with *cino so far has been a lovely compliment to the personal growth I am currently experiencing in this season of life.”

In the past 2.5 months, Melody has immensly enjoyed getting to know Three Rivers and Western Michigan while spending as much time outside as possible. When she’s not working, Melody enjoys reading, traveling, cooking, and working on her personal and professional goals (including yoga and herbalisim certifications).

Be sure to stop by our Saturday Market or our weekly Free Veggie Distribution on Tuesdays and say hello to Melody.

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*cino Work, People

Welcoming New *cino staff: Shaina

This week we are excited to begin introducing you to our three, new full-rime, year long AmeriCorps Vista members.

First up we have Shaina Opperman.

Shaina, a native of South Lyons, MI decided to join AmeriCorps after COVID-19 ended her social research project at the University of Michigan.

“For the past two years since finishing undergrad at MSU, I’ve been doing social research at U-M about people’s perceptions toward the concept of diverting human urine from the waste stream for re-use as fertilizer. That sounds like a highly specific—and perhaps unusual—kind of project, but in a lot of ways I feel it connects naturally to the things I’ll be doing here—building trusting relationships, sharing knowledge, staying accountable to people’s concerns, and co-creating solutions. While I’m serving with AmeriCorps, I’ll have the opportunity to continue working through the kinds of social questions that have been on my mind a lot lately. So as a personal next step I think AmeriCorps just fits.”

Since joining the team, Shaina has been really drawn to the generosity of spirit embodied by everyone in Three Rivers as well as the *cino community’s commitment to creative collaboration. She especially loves how *cino pushes ourselves to self-reflect and let experience and community input guide us toward ways to live together more responsibly. What *cino does has evolved through many different people continuously working on creating stronger community partnerships. She sees the Saturday market as an example of this. “The market works through a lot of people coming together, including our visitors, and it would never exist in exactly the same way if it had been created in a different place or emerged from another group of people. I really enjoy seeing these unique things we create together, so I view my contribution to this team with a lot of gratitude and curious anticipation.”

When she’s not working, Shaina enjoys long walks in nature, keeping the community house cookie jar full to the brim with baked goods, and working her way through her “to-read” list.

We are thrilled to have her with us for the year.

Stop by the market soon and say hi to her and the rest of the *cinocrew.

 

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*cino Work, People

Welcoming New *cino staff: Nikki

This week we are continuing our series of introductions to our Summer Associates, Next up is Nikki.

Nikki Ambs, a Three Rivers local, is no stranger to *cino and The Huss Project. Thanks to her Aunt, Julie Keefer, a prominent member of the *cino community, she learned all about what makes our organization unique years ago. She was drawn to this position because she wants to “help the community through service and make new connections with people.” 

In Nikki’s own words, her passion for joining *cino came from a longing to better understand the community she grew up in. 

“As someone from Three Rivers, I want to get more involved in the community that I am from.  I think it’s important to learn more about where you are from, and through this opportunity I am able to do so!”

Nikki is currently attending Western Michigan University where she studies Graphic Design and music.

We can’t wait to see the insights that Nikki gleans from this Summer at The Huss Project.

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*cino Work, People

Welcoming New *cino staff: Tiffany

This week we are continuing to introduce you to the newest members of our *cino community. It is our hope that you will better understand what drives us towards doing this work by getting to know our staff members.

Next up is Tiffany Chiang.

Tiffany, a native of Kalamazoo, developed an interest in being an AmeriCorps Summer Associate after her friend and current *cino AmeriCorps Staff member Jeff Torano,  told her about the great work the organization was doing.

After graduating college, Tiffany was confused about what she wanted to do with her life. She was interested in working outdoors and with other people so the opportunity to work at The Huss Project seemed like a perfect fit!

“Jeff was actually the one who told me about CINO! After hearing about it from him I was interested in learning more and found the Huss Project home page. It seemed like a community that I would fit well into and I was really interested in learning more about how an urban farm actually runs.”

In her free time Tiffany enjoys spending time outside hiking, playing piano, working with ceramics, and rock climbing.

We can’t wait to hear more about her experience at the end of the Summer. 

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*cino Work, People

Welcoming New *cino staff: Jaz

With the start of Summer comes beautiful, new opportunities to build community and grow our organization. This year we welcomed three AmeriCorps Summer Associates to help maintain our flourishing urban farm at The Huss Project. This week we want to introduce you to one of them.

Jaz Popa, originally from New Jersey, has called Michigan home since college. She graduated from the University of Michigan in 2020 with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and a minor in Food Systems. Her passion for farming, specifically urban farming, came after taking a few classes in food systems and seeing the need for a major societal shift in the way we approach food.   

She decided to join *cino for the Summer because it aligned with her pa

ssion for helping others  as well as “to help provide food insecure community areas with fresh,  healthy food and increase food access / knowledge.” 

Jaz also felt that the opportunity to work with AmeriCorps would provide her “a way for me to get involved in my neighboring communities to work on preventing poverty through food access”. 

When she’s not saving the world from hunger, Jaz loves visiting the beach and her family in New Jersey, growing her own food, and painting. 

We are so thrilled Jaz has joined us for this short season and we appreciate the dedication she has already brought to her work at *cino.

Stayed tuned for more introductions of the new *cino staff in upcoming weeks!

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