LAST Summer of Fun
In partnership with Chad Carwein and ECU Sustainability, Love A Sea Turtle – LAST leadership team and their student-led initiatives (Community for Environmental Sustainability, Grow Kindness, BeeHaviors, Environmental Social Justice Droners, and Read Seed Feed) have been very active in community collaborative projects. This summer alone, harvests from the Greenville Community Gardens & Orchard has resulted in the donation of over 500 lbs. of fresh fruits and vegetables for community members without the means or access to enjoy locally grown produce. Several recipient organizations include JOY Soup Kitchen/Community Center, Hope of Glory Ministries, VA Health Clinic and Ripe for Revival Mobile Market.
One of our garden workdays in the spring brought Small Axe Peppers’ Chief Operating Person, Daniel Fitzgerald, to the Community Garden as we showcased our new “Pepper Plot”. Small Axe donates serrano pepper seeds to community gardens across the US then purchases the local peppers to use in their hot sauce production. The Greenville Community Garden & Orchard is excited to be part of this national program!
Another recent community partnership is with the VA Health Care Center in Greenville. With design, coordination and implementation by LAST and Chad Carwein, we created multiple garden spaces at the Center on Moye Boulevard. Youth volunteers with LAST worked alongside the Veggies for Vets organization and local veterans to build a space to help US veterans and their families learn about and have access to fresh produce while improving mental health.
LAST student leaders developed curriculum and led 2 summer camp weeks in June at The SPOT youth organization in Wilson, NC. The FAN (Fitness and Nutrition) camp program integrated nutrition education and cooking skills with fishing and biking for over 100 underserved youth.
Additional updates on the LAST Student Leadership Team
Michelle Song was selected to the UNC-Wilmington Summer Ventures program where she will do nutrition/health-related research. She has also founded a new program called Read Seed Feed that integrates literacy, gardening and food insecurity through cultural exploration. This program was also chosen for a special Riley’s Way Environmental Justice grant and Michelle serves as a Riley’s Way Call For Kindness Fellow. More big news is Michelle’s recognition as a Stephen Brady Stop Hunger Scholarship Winner at the Sodexo Charity Classic held at the end of June in Colorado Springs, CO.
Kean Dao was recently selected as a Prudential Emerging Visionary for his Environmental Social Justice Droners initiative that he co-founded with Sunook Yoon. His project was also chosen for the Employee’s Choice Award. He received the award in New York and was featured in lights at Times Square. Kean serves as a Senior Water Challenge Ambassador for EarthEcho International.
Sunook Yoon is a 2023 Bow Seat Future Blue Youth Council member and was most recently selected as an EarthEcho Youth Leadership Council member. Working with Kean Dao, they are expanding their droner program with new clubs forming in Seoul, Korea, Barcelona, Spain and Alexandria, Virginia and will be providing an Environmental Droner camp in August for youth at The SPOT organization in Wilson.
Junwon Hwang has been working with the Greenville Montessori School Grow Kindness Garden, recently received his beekeeping certification, and was selected for a Grow Kindness continuation grant. He is a Riley’s Way Call For Kindness Fellow.
