Author: Kelly Carlisle

The Success of Grow Your Imagination 2018!

Here’s what happened that night:

“Loved it! It was fun and tasty and informative. I learned about a new author and got a chance to buy an autographed book! Thanks ANV!” -GYI Attendee

The evening began at the VIP gathering at Lungomare Restaurant in Jack London Square, featuring drinks and lite bites. Then a beautiful ferry ride over to San Francisco’s historic Ferry Building. Once there, host DeAngela Cooks of The Mosaic Collaborative helped to create a wonderful, fun, memorable night.

Deepest gratitude to our guest author Wayétu Moore, author of “She Would Be King”, who read a powerful excerpt from her book then signed copies for our guests! 

Congratulations to all of our Victory V. Lee Award for Excellence Awardees:

2018 Victory V. Lee Awardees

Executive Board Member Of The Year:
Bennie Patterson
Auxiliary Board Member Of The Year:
Jennifer Dix
Volunteer Of The Year:
Pauline Chiquet (Not pictured)
Staff Member Of The Year:
Ayano Jeffers-Fabro
Donor Of The Year:
Nancie Hughes
Foundation Of The Year:
Satterberg Foundation
Elected Official Of The Year:
Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley
Partner Of The Year:
Whole Foods

Appreciations to all of the staff and volunteers who made the night happen. Many thanks to Pete Rosos of 2812 Photography for the beautiful photographs of the night. Thank you to Victoria Russell for fabulous event planning.

Thanks also go out to the Oakland A’s, Whole Foods Oakland, Waste Management, Beneficial State Bank and all of our sponsors for supporting this incredible event!

…And Thank You to all of the supporters and guests that attended to help us continue our work in Oakland and beyond!

ANV’s 3rd Annual Community Field Trip is Happening on Saturday, 11/17 at Redwood Regional Park in Oakland!

Family Photos by Pete Rosos of 2812 Photography. All Rights Reserved.

Grab your spot! Join ANV for a fun day out at East Bay Regional Parks District’s  Redwood Regional Park! Just 20 minutes from Tassafaronga Recreation Center, you and your family will be treated to a naturalist led tour of this beautiful park!

See our video from ANV’s Community Field Trip 2017 to Ardenwood Regional Park!

Join ANV’s Staff and Board for a cookout and take home a family portrait from our favorite professional photographer, Pete Rosos of 2812 Photography! Children and families are welcome to participate in some of the field games and natural art projects that will be happening too!

Logistics: At 10:00am the bus departs Tassafaronga Recreation Center (975 85th Ave.) Upon arrival, family portraits will be taken by our professional photographer. Then, our Naturalist will greet and lead the group on an easy tour of the park for 30-45 mins. Then, LUNCH! The bus arrives back at ANV at 4:00 pm where families will receive their freshly printed holiday photos!

Transportation, snacks, hot drinks, lunch and professional photos provided!

RSVP by Friday Nov. 9th HERE: http://bit.ly/RideWithANV2018

Questions? Email info@anvfarm.org or call 510.878.7235 (tell us your name, # of adults and children in your party, any food restrictions, and your contact info).

What to Bring: Please wear comfortable closed-toe walking shoes, warm clothing (bring layers!), a rain coat (just in case!). Hat/beanie, sunglasses, and a water bottle recommended.

Sponsor Acta Non Verba’s “Grow Your Imagination” Silent Reading Party Benefit on 11/29/18!

Grow your Sponsorship!

Dear Community Partner,                 

Acta Non Verba: Youth Urban Farm Project (ANV) – an East Oakland non-profit organization – was established in 2010 to empower youth to plan, plant, harvest and sell organically grown produce.  Uniquely, 100% of the proceeds are placed into savings accounts for their educational pathway.

Today, we are writing to invite you and your organization to participate as one of our major sponsors for our upcoming Silent Reading Party Benefit scheduled to take place on Thursday, November 29, 2018 from 6pm-9pm at the San Francisco Ferry Building in San Francisco, CA. Event proceeds will benefit our fall and winter programs.

The evening will be hosted by a very special guest and include a short reading, wine and heavy appetizers from the numerous delicious vendors at the Ferry Building. Awards will be presented to our new Victory V. Lee Award for Excellence awardees.

Since 2010, ANV has supported over 3,500 local youth and their families. This year, ANV is excited to celebrate 8 years of successful outcomes.

Please find the event’s Sponsorship Package for an overview of partnership opportunities.  

Benefit highlights:

  • Social media, print, and/or email promotion to over 25,000 local residents
  • Banner space at the event
  • Reserved seating and/or VIP event tickets
  • Tax-deductible donation

For more information, please contact LaNiece Jones at laniece@lajonesmedia.com or our event consultant Victoria Russell at victoria.l.russell@gmail.com

Your support will help us continue to achieve our goals, build community, and make East Oakland a safe, healthy, and equitable place to live and GROW!  We look forward to seeing you at this empowering community event.  Thank you for your continued and sustaining support.

Warmest Regards,

Kelly D. Carlisle

Founder/ Executive Director

About Acta Non Verba: Youth Urban Farm Project (ANV)

ANV provides a space for local youth to:
  • Learn the business of sustainable agriculture,
  • Participate in fun activities that promote fitness,
  • Discover healthy cooking and nutrition,
  • Undertake interactive arts, science, and reading projects,
  • And develop financial literacy by depositing earnings from the harvest into bank accounts that can only be used by students for educational purposes.
Leaders In Training (LIT’s) at “The Farm” at the Oakland A’s Stadium!
Over the last Eight (8) years, Acta Non Verba has:
  • Served more than 3,500 youth through our seasonal Camps, After-School Program, Leaders In Training (LIT) Program, and community events;
  • Planted and harvested 22 garden beds at ANV Farm @Tassafaronga Park,
  • Designed and maintain a farm with 26 raised beds and 10 fruit trees at the Oakland Stadium in partnership with the Oakland Athletics,
  • The 1/ 8th acre WOW Farm in West Oakland is now a project of ANV with produce sold through our:
  • Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) business and local restaurants as well as provided free of charge to nearby low-income families through our food pantry;
  • Expanded from one Summer Camp ANV to four seasonal camps during each Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) holiday, providing a safe space for local youth to learn the business of sustainable agriculture, engage in activities that promote fitness, learn about healthy cooking and nutrition, complete arts, science, and reading projects, and get outside into nature;
  • Developing financial literacy and a pathway to success by depositing all earnings from the farm harvest into bank accounts for participating youth that can only be used by students for educational purposes.

Grow Your Sponsorship Today!

Lunchtime Fun at Camp ANV!

WOW Farm is Now a Project of Acta Non Verba!

Photos By Aaron De La Cerda and Kahlil Johnson All Rights Reserved.

What is Wow Farm?

Wow Farm has operated in West Oakland for nearly 20 years and is now a project of Acta Non Verba: Youth Urban Farm Project!

At Wow Farm we employ organic and natural farming methods to grow more than 20 varieties of microgreens, 7 herb varieties and 10 types of fruit.

We grow quality produce year-around and utilize raised mounds, drip irrigation, integrated pest management, and regularly amend our soil with organic compost, a portion of which is produced on site.  We sell & deliver our produce directly to local restaurants and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) customers around in and around Oakland.

In addition to our After School Program, Camp ANV’s Leaders In Training (LIT’s) now have another space to learn sustainable agriculture and and microenterprise!

Learn more about our CSA HERE!

Photos By Aaron De La Cerda and Kahlil Johnson All Rights Reserved.

ANV’s Victory V. Lee Award for Excellence

Acta Non Verba: Youth Urban Farm Project’s (ANV) Victory V. Lee Award for Excellence annually recognizes the current year’s “outstanding service to the community”, beginning in 2017. It is awarded to members of the ANV community who have gained the attention of the organizations staff and Board of Directors and who exemplify the values that ANV holds dear: Courage, Integrity and Commitment, as well as our creed: “Deeds, Not Words”.

Victory V. Lee was born on September 7, 1949 and passed away on Thursday, February 4, 2016.

The award is named for Ms. Victory V. Lee, an educator, community member and urban farmer. Founder of the Victory Garden Foundation in 2008, Ms. Lee’s commitment to urban agriculture has impacted thousands of individuals. From the elementary school gardens and urban farms that she started and maintained, to the annual Victory Garden Challenge for Community Resilience, which was created to “inform, inspire, and support people to ‘improve the quality of life in and around the garden.’”

 

 

 

Throughout ANV’s friendship and partnership with Ms. Victory, her passion for growing both plants and humans was evident.

She was always ready to lend a hand, give advice and share resources with anyone willing to ask and the share those same qualities and resources on to the next individual and organization who asked.

For this reason, Acta Non Verba: Youth Urban Farm Project is proud to name it’s highest award the Victory V. Lee Award for Excellence with permission from her son, Sean Higgins.

 

All who receive this award have shown their commitment to equity, hard work and love of community.

2018 Acta Non Verba Victory V. Lee Awardees Of The Year:

Executive Board Member Of The Year:
Bennie Patterson
 
Auxiliary Board Member Of The Year:
Jennifer Dix
 
Volunteer Of The Year:
Pauline Chiquet
 
Staff Member Of The Year:
Ayano Jeffers-Fabro
 
Donor Of The Year:
Nancie Hughes
 
Foundation Of The Year:
Satterberg Foundation
 
Elected Official Of The Year:
Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley
 
Partner Of The Year:
Whole Foods
 
These awards will be presented at ANV’s Fall Silent Reading Benefit, “Grow Your Imagination” on Thursday, November 29th from 6-9pm. Learn More and Get Your Tickets. 

Camp ANV #UnStungHero: Peter Varas; Food Justice Educator/Camp Counselor

Camp ANV #UnStungHero: Peter Varas; Food Justice Educator/ Camp Counselor

Camp ANV’s #UnStungHeroes celebrates our camp staff and campers who have stood out this summer!

Camp ANV: What is your name?

Peter Varas

Camp ANV: How many years have you worked at Camp ANV?

Peter Varas: This is my first year at camp ANV and I wish I had been here sooner!

Camp ANV: What are some of your hobbies or interests?

Peter: I’ve been skateboarding for 10 years and continue to do it because it keeps me outside and active while also learning new tricks.

I love to farm and recently graduated from UC Davis with my degree in Sustainable Horticulture & Food Systems. I manage an urban farm in Berkeley. When I’m not farming, I’m traveling, reading or watching the Celtics.

Camp ANV: What is your favorite age group to work with?

Peter: They are all fun, but I enjoy working with the LIT’s because some of them are going to high school and are starting to think about what they want to do and I want them to be excited about food justice and farming!

Camp: What does Camp ANV mean to you?

Peter: Camp ANV means that youth can have a safe, fun, experiential learning space that empowers them to grow their own food. They learn about native plants, explore the greater bay area all while connecting with other kids from East Oakland. I really wish I had this when I was growing up. 

Camp: Can you name four interesting things about yourself?

Peter: I’ve been to and skated in 49 states! I’m just missing Alaska. I’m the first person in my family to go to college. I’m first generation born in Lawrence, Massachusetts and was raised between there and Nashua, New Hampshire. I worked at a butterfly farm in Encinitas for 3 years!

Camp ANV: Thanks so much for becoming a part of the ANV Family Peter! You’re doing AMAZING things!

Camp ANV #UnStungHero: José Antonio Nuño; Camp Counselor

Camp ANV #UnStungHero: José Antonio Nuño; Camp Counselor

Camp ANV’s #UnStungHeroes celebrates our camp staff and campers who have stood out this summer!

Camp ANV: What is your name?

José Antonio Nuño

Camp ANV: How many years have you worked at Camp ANV?

José Antonio Nuño: I have worked for camp ANV since the summer of 2017. This is my second summer working with Acta Non Verba.

 
Camp ANV: What are some of your hobbies or interests?

José: I have a variety of hobbies and interested that occupy my time both on and off work. I love to dance, thinking critically and engaging with performance, listening to music to improve my expansive playlist, living an active lifestyle, but my biggest interest is continuing my education and preparing for a career in education that emphasizes performance and technology as viable forms of communicating issues, potential realities and hypothesizing solutions.

Camp: What is your favorite age group to work with?

José: It’s hard for me to choose a specific age group as being my favorite group to work with mostly because the type of attention, or lessons, each group appears to need vary. The Little Seeds are amazing because they are the easiest friends to make, as long as you let them become friends with you. Same with the Sprouts yet they are more prone to being interested in their imagination or what their friends are doing. The L.I.T.s are older and usually at an age where I’m sure all adults sound like the parents from the Charlie Brown franchise. That said, when vital conversations take place (be it about food or reformative justice, oppression and intersectionality, individual determination for success, and even how to be a role model for the younger kids) you can begin to see rough exteriors fade away. The L.I.T.s, in my opinion, want to be respected and treated as adults, at least on an intellectual level if nothing else, and they become enveloped into critical conversations that at best only rarely occur in public schools. All in all, each group teaches me everyday to be patient, think before speaking, and hot to stay swift on my toes when tough questions arise.

Camp: What does Camp ANV mean to you?

José: When I first started Camp ANV a year ago, I felt that being on the team meant much of what I detailed in my application: “words only go so far, actions get you to the next destination.” Now, the meaning of camp still has the same basic formula, but anyone who works at Camp ANV grows just as much as the campers. Where else will you find over 50 beautifully individual children – each with unique personalities, dreams, experiences, and struggles – and be in a position to guide them in a more positive light everyday? You would like to think it’d be in public school, but part of the reason all of us here working at ANV continue to show up for these kids everyday is because we know it isn’t the case. The meaning of ANV, at least for me, has developed into a living self-justifiable tool of survival youth in our communities desperately need to compete with more privileged communities affluent with resources and opportunities. To me, Camp ANV is nothing but love that doesn’t quit.

Camp: Can you name four interesting things about yourself?

José: Four interesting things about me: 1) I speak three languages and encourage everyone to learn how to communicate in different ways; 2) I’m a creative and political personality, and this aspect of my character drives me to show others the power of their bodies, voices, movement and performance; 3) I can probably beat at least 50% of people older than me at a contest to identify oldie songs and artists; 4) I’m a first generation college student with 9 other siblings, and the first in my family to receive a bachelor’s degree – soon to be the first to receive a master’s degree.

Camp: Wowzers, Jose!! Thank you so much for working with us! Your passion shines through every day!

Camp ANV #UnStungHero: Aya Jeffers-Fabro; Camp Administrator

Camp ANV #UnStungHero: Aya Jeffers Fabro; Camp Administrator

Camp ANV’s #UnStungHeroes celebrates our camp staff and campers who have stood out this summer!

Camp ANV: What is your name?
Aya

Camp ANV: How many years have you worked at Camp ANV?

Aya: Three years total! I started off as a intern for my Food Systems minor at UC Berkeley, that same summer, I came on as a camp counselor and have worked my way up to be ANV’s Office Manager and Camp Administrator! I love it! I get to see the kids every day in our After School Program and during our Camps! Working at ANV has taught me so many new things about youth development, community empowerment and so much more!

Camp ANV: What are some of your hobbies or interests?

Aya: Cooking, for SURE! I love gardening and having my hands in the dirt. I love the ocean, so sitting on the beach and being out in nature!

Camp: What is your favorite age group to work with?

Aya: I LOVE the little seeds! They are like little sponges that absorb info! But this year the older group… the LIT’s (Leaders In Training) have grown on me! It’s nice to see the ones that have grown up with me in this community! It’s really inspiring to see!

Camp: What does Camp ANV mean to you?

Aya: ANV has given me a sense of place here n Oakland which is not my native city. ANV has helped me make rural/ urban connections to my passion which is environmental education. It give me an opportunity to be a kid and to play and have fun as well as remember why our work is so important. Because the next generation really is our future. 

Camp: Can you name four interesting things about yourself?

Aya: Four… Things… 1) I was born and raised on the north shore of Oahu in Hawai’i. 2) I’ve never been on a surfboard or danced hula in my life. 3) I will eat almost anything from the ocean. 4) …and I’ve been growing my hair our since the 8th grade! BONUS!! I used to play rugby in college!!

Camp: Thanks Aya!! You’re Amazing!!

Camp ANV #UnStungHero: Monika Malone; Camp Counselor

Camp ANV #UnStungHero: Monika Malone; Camp Counselor

Camp ANV’s #UnStungHeroes celebrates our camp staff and campers who have stood out this summer!

The SECOND of the UnStung is: Monika Malone -Camp ANV Camp Counselor!

Camp ANV: How many years have you worked at Camp ANV?

Monika: This is my first season with Camp ANV! I LOVE IT!

Camp ANV: What are some of your hobbies or interests?

Monika: I like comedy and and action movies! I LOVED “The Incredibles 2”!

I also love spending time with my family doing anything! We talk, eat and like to watch Master Chef! Both of my sons are into Basketball and are great players! We love watching the Golden State Warriors games together!

Camp ANV: What is your favorite age group to work with?

Monika: I think the older group of the kids… The LIT’s (Leaders In Training) because they are more independent and I work at a high school, so I’m used to them! Plus, my sons are teenagers and I feel like I can relate to them more. Teens have a log going on in their lives and are easier to have a conversation with.

Camp: Big question — What does Camp ANV mean to you?

Monika: Camp ANV is a place where I feel like a part of a caring community. at Camp, I can work with kids in a fun environment while teaching them and also learning from them and the other staff.

Camp: Can you name four interesting things about yourself?

Monika: Let’s see… I am in school to become an Ethnic Studies Professor, I love birds and currently have two parakeets, I like to watch reality TV and I work on cars! Also… I am proud to say that I was born and raised in Oakland and I am raising my family here as well!

Camp: Thanks so much for your time Monika! We are so lucky to have you on our team!