Agraria_Journal_WINTER_2022

AMY HARPER Annual award recipients Florentina Rodriguez with her daughter, Sharon, Mills Lawn School students Violet Matteson and Elise Bongorno with her mother Naomi Bongorno, and Dr. Marcus Nagle, of Central State University. 48 AGRARIA JOURNAL 2022 Annual Awards Honor Leadership, Partnerships, and Support Agraria honored 11 individuals at its annual meeting on July 17th, recognizing partners, neighbors, community members, volunteers, and youth who have made meaningful contributions to Agraria, its areas of practice, and the wider community and bioregion. Volunteer of the Year Awards honored Omopé Carter Daboiku for her leadership and support of visioning at Agraria, grant writing, and program implementation and Florentina Rodriguez for her support of Agraria’s EBT/ Produce Perks program at the Yellow Springs Farmers Market and leadership in launching the Yellow Springs Community Seed Library. Regenerative Community Awards celebrated Marianne MacQueen , for her decades-long work to make Yellow Springs more resilient, sustainable, and regenerative, and Lela Klein , for her leadership as co-founder of Co- op Dayton and her support of worker empowerment and community economic development in Dayton, Ohio. The Neighbor of the Year Award recognized Joseph Giardullo for his ongoing support of Agraria’s work and his dedication to improving our community. The Agraria Alchemist Award saluted Rich Sidwell for the many ways he has sparked Agraria’s growth and development as an active member of the board of trustees. Agraria Catalyst Awards honored Al Schleuter and Dave Westneat for their support in helping grow Agraria’s research capacity. Youth Leadership Awards lauded students Violet Matteson and Elise Bongorno for their environmental activism in the Yellow Springs community and leadership of the Mills Lawn School compost initiative. The Agraria Partner Award recognized Central State University researcher and assistant professor Dr. Marcus Nagle for the research partnerships he has fostered and supported since Agraria was established.