Category: Featured

Dear Friends of Acta Non Verba, 

I have been to too many conferences, webinars, panels, workshops and events that lament the lack of diversity in the environmental movement. What they don’t often understand is that it is not enough to bring kids of color into nature and hope that they will just connect.

Their families need to be the ones bringing them as research shows that positive direct experience in the out-of-doors AND being taken into the outdoors by a parent, grandparent, or trusted guardian are the two factors that most contribute to youth developing a connection to nature. However, costs, access to transportation, and other barriers prevent youth and their families from low-income communities of color like Oakland from gaining the educational, social, and emotional benefits of nature-based experiences.

We aim to break down those barriers and inequities here at ANV, building a stewardship ethic, offering parents opportunities to volunteer with their kids on our farm, at our camps, and on our camping and field trips.

And with Rose Foundation’s support, we offered our VERY FIRST COMMUNITY FIELD TRIP to Muir Woods National Monument in November.

Any family in our local community could sign up to join the trip, where we learned about the history of the Park, the National Park’s Centennial, and its local flora and fauna. We even helped families of 5th graders obtain their free annual National Parks pass.

The best part, however, was taking holiday photos for all the families. A memento to remember and cement that positive experience in nature with the ones they loved most. Thank you Peter Rosos of 2812 Photography and Olivia Destandau!

Click here to check out all the photos (even the rain couldn’t dampen their smiles), warmest holiday wishes, and a thank you for all of your support of ANV!

Love from ANV,

Kelly D. Carlisle and Team ANV

P.S. We STILL need your HELP reaching our goal of $20,000 by December 31. Will you DONATE TODAY to help us continue our unique work connect youth and their families with food, nature, and assets (we help kids open educational savings accounts with 100% of farm sales deposited in those account)?

DONATE TODAY!

Stand by ANV and celebrate #5YearsofDeeds by donating online here and helping us reach our $20,000 goal BY DECEMBER 31!

LAUNCH Your Own Fundraising Campaign

Do you want to do even more good deeds?
Why not start your own crowdfunding campaign for Acta Non Verba – it’s easy!

(1) Click here, then click the button “Create a Fundraising Page” and create your account.

(2) Personalize you page and your connection to ANV – why do you love about ANV and what are you going to do to help raise funds for ANV? Will you run a marathon? Will you host a dinner? Or will you just ask your friends and family to give generously to something you love? Or click on one of the other fundraisers’ pages here, here, or here to see how they are standing with ANV.

(3) Use the social media “Share” button to tell your networks about your fundraising campaign and how you need their support to reach your goal. Call and email friends and family and be sure to share the summary from your page and the link to donate.

(4) Thank your networks for giving and supporting ANV and keep sharing your campaign until you reach your fundraising goal!

SHOP & GIVE TO ANV at Whole Foods Oakland

ANV is proud to announce they will be the sole partner and recipient of Whole Foods Oakland’s Nickels for Non-Profits Program. Until January 15, 2017 every time a customer checks out at Whole Foods (230 Bay Place, Oakland, CA 94612), they have the option of donating their 5-cent reusable bag credit to Acta Non Verba: Youth Urban Farm Project. It has never been easier to support local people and the planet!

JOIN or Give the Gift of Our CSA

For just $25/week, get seasonal veggies and fruits delivered to any East Bay location.

SHARE our social media posts and emails

Make sure to Like us on Facebook, Follow us on Twitter, and Follow us on Instagram so you can share the latest news, events, and more from Team ANV!

SIGN UP for Our Newsletter

Stay updated on our upcoming events, latest news, great resources, and how to get involved with our monthly e-newsletter.

REGISTER your kid for CAMP ANV (and spread the word!)

Get your kids (and your friends’ kids) out on the farm, digging in the soil, playing, reading, camping and much more. Keep an eye out for registration to open in SPRING 2017.

Happy Holidays from ANV! You may already read our emails and our letter calling on you to celebrate five years of Acta Non Verba (#5YearsofDeeds) by being with us as we  “Stand, and Be True”, a favorite quote of mine from Stephen King’s Dark Tower series and a timely theme that speaks to me of what we, as individuals, as a community, and as a nation must do.

Dear Wonderful ANV Supporters,

I wish I were a poet. To be able to express myself in a way that you all could visualize what I have seen the last 5 years.

The sadness and the joy the danger and the bravery. The persistence of LIFE and innovation and the tenacity and perseverance in our community.

I wish I were a better storyteller. To share with you the amazing stories of our youth and where they come from and where they hope to go. The changes they want to make and their ferocious protectiveness of their families. Their drive to be good and do good.

I wish I were a writer. To give you pages and pages of the chronicles of the work it’s taken to get ANV to this point. The people we’ve met. The partnerships and donors we’ve cultivated. The folks just like you and me who want this country, this community to be based in Truth. Justice. Freedom for all.

I would tell you about our Staff, Board, and volunteers who exemplify those values we all hold dear.

I wish I were a poet. I would weave together stanzas of the bravery and hope in our community to stand up in the face of adversity, racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, inequity, and ableism. While “Deeds, Not Words” is our name and vision, Stephen King’s ubiquitous line: “Stand, and Be True” is the beating heart of who we are.

The rhymes, the cadence, the sounds to express the strong, steady beat of that heart escape me though. But our work marches on – we will continue to host our seasonal holiday camps, provide healthy produce where there is little access, bring kids out into nature, hire from a community where jobs are scarce, pay living wages to our staff, and, most importantly, resist against hate, exploitation, and inequity in all of its forms. We will nurture every child we encounter, knowing each has the same potential as any one of us. The power to Stand. And Be True. To effect Deeds, Not Words.

You have that power now – please donate today.

Sadly, I am not a poet. Instead, I am grateful. And humbled by the love and trust you and our community places in me and ANV.

These past 5 years have gone by in a blur. It is only now, in this moment that I can sigh and say… to all of you, my loves: Thank you. I see you. I appreciate you. We thank you.

Keep resisting. I’m here with you. I believe in you.

If you believe in ANV, in me, in our community, and our potential, please donate today to ensure the next #5YearsofDeeds. Over the next few weeks, we will be sharing more stories of how far we have come and our vision for the next five years – feel free to share your own stories about ANV and your dreams for our future on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Happy holidays to you and yours.

Love from me and mine.

Kelly D. Carlisle and Team ANV