Reflections on Growth and the Future
By: Sherry Manning, Founder and US Executive Director
Seed Friends and Family,
You may have noticed a hiatus in our newsletters over the last few months. This is not because we have been inactive. In fact, quite the opposite! As a team, as individuals, as a growing network of seed savers and advocates, we have been looking within, reorganizing our structures, and taking the time needed to build better systems. We also continue to get the right people on the team to lead us into our future. This has been an important process as we move from a small start-up non-profit to a more robust organization ready to meet the challenges and demands of our mission and our times!
I am thrilled to share some of the highlights of these important steps with you all:
- Launched our Joint Board of Directors with Philippines Leadership. This has been a desire for a long time and we are so excited to be leading the way with this new governance structure.
- Welcomed two new team members in the Philippines, Efren and Sarah! (Read more about both below).
- Thanks to the generosity of a long time donor, we have secured a very generous multi-year gift that is providing some stability and opportunity to dream big and expand our impact in the coming years!
I have been spending time in deep reflection, looking back at all that has happened as an organization since the seeds of what is now Global Seed Savers/Philippines began to germinate 15 plus years ago in Tublay, Benguet. It is there that I fell in love with the land, the Cosalan Family, and the kind people of Tublay and beyond. This is also where I saw the tremendous possibility of helping communities build the futures they desire to see.
Throughout this entire process it has always been the relationships with people, restoring connections to culture, and sitting in deep reverence for the land and all that it provides that have guided our work and my passion for building this organization. These will continue to be center points as we move into this next phase of our growth and I am humbled and honored to see our movement continue to expand, widen its network, and remain grounded in our purpose!
Seed Onward!
Sherry Manning
Founder and US Executive Director