Farmers versus Foodies

Ray Starling is the current General Counsel and President of the NC Chamber Legal Institute and has previously served as the chief of staff to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and as the principal agriculture advisor to the President of the United States. As a lawyer, advisor, professor, expert, politician, and thought leader, Ray Starling utilized his decades of experience in agricultural policy to write Farmers versus Foodies: a look at the outside forces forging the future of farming and food.

Starling’s book offers insight into the battle being waged between agricultural insiders and political outsiders who grapple over control of the agricultural industry. Showcasing both his expertise and his passion for the agricultural industry, Starling’s book offers an exploration of what the future of this sector may hold. Diving into the growing impact of outsiders on the farming system in the United States, Farmers versus Foodies explores the changing dynamics between the actors at play – mapping the changing landscape of this intersection of policy and agriculture.

In an industry that continues to change and adapt to current policies and emerging technologies, Farmers versus Foodies provides a starting point to understanding the intersection of public policy and the agricultural sector. This entrance point has allowed Ray to connect with both experts and amateurs alike. Farmers versus Foodies has served as an invaluable tool for spreading awareness of this issue and opening up opportunities for Ray to share his passionate message with thought leaders in the agricultural community and beyond.

My Mommy Is a Candidate

Larissa Martinez has close to two decades of experience working as a political strategist. Mari Martinez Zinser is a teaching artist specializing in program design. Together they’ve written My Mommy Is a Candidate, combining Larissa’s campaign knowledge and Mari’s experience teaching young children.

They wanted to write My Mommy Is a Candidate to help moms explain their candidacy to their kids. Campaigns can be confusing for little ones, so Mari and Larissa work to connect these new experiences to children’s’ development. They make connections between what makes a good candidate and the traits the kids themselves are developing, closing the gap between the adult world of campaigning and children’s daily lives.

My Mommy Is a Candidate showcases women as leaders and involves all members of the family in campaign life in a way kids can understand. Candidates, teachers, school board members, and more have offered praise for the book, which fills a longstanding gap for many families. Larisa and Mari plan on working through many more professions as their children’s book series takes shape.

For more information about Mari and Larissa or My Mommy Is a Candidate, visit https://www.lmpublishers.com/

The Giving Garden

Sandi Frost Steensma is the founder of Kennari Consulting, one of the largest full-service fundraising consulting firms in Michigan. Kennari Consulting is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year and currently serves around 100 organizations annually. Sandi has over 30 years of experience with public service and fundraising, and she works with clients in all stages of the fundraising cycle. Her clients benefit from her experience, and her new book, The Giving Garden, can put that knowledge in your hands, too.

The Giving Garden is Sandi’s first book, and she wanted to write something directed toward people who work with nonprofit organizations and other fundraising causes. The book focuses on practical fundraising practices that are simple to implement and quickly show a return on investment, guiding readers through the process of turning a first-time donor into a major giver. She uses the imagery of master gardeners cultivating specific flowers and the careful work put into giving them exactly what they need to grow.

Sandi believes that donors should be treated as unique individuals and her book offers insight into how fundraisers can actually approach them that way – something she doesn’t think is done often enough. This sort of personalized engagement can have incredible impact on the communities served. The Giving Garden will help fundraisers focus on relationship-based fundraising as they rediscover the joy of raising money for the organizations they love.

To learn more about The Giving Garden or Kennari Consulting, please visit kennariconsulting.com

Giving Collectively, Granting Strategically, Growing a Greater Greenville: The Story of Greenville Women Giving

Founded in 2006, Greenville Women Giving (GWG) is a philanthropic organization made up of over 500 people. They serve Greenville County in South Carolina and believe that women, when informed about philanthropy needs in their community, can make a real difference. Their mission is to work collectively to identify and fund nonprofit organizations in the areas of arts, education, environment, health, and human services.

GWG takes a holistic view of the community with an eye toward funding and accomplishing together what few people could do on their own. Women can become members by donating $1,200 per year for three years. $1,000 goes immediately into the current year’s fund, and $200 helps to defray their program and operational costs. GWG offers educational opportunities throughout the year so women can learn about community needs and opportunities and the organizations that are attempting to address them.

When looking for projects that have the potential for high impact and significant positive change in the community, GWG looks broadly through many different areas for grants. They want to strengthen the community through the arts, promote lifelong learning, improve the overall health and natural environment of the community, and address inequalities within the community. Over the years they have secured more than 120 grants to help them pursue these goals, and they passed $6 million in grants in 2019.

Giving Collectively, Granting Strategically, Growing a Greater Greenville: The Story of Greenville Women Giving looks at 15 years of growth and community service. To learn more about Greenville Women Giving, make a donation, or inquire about membership, visit https://www.greenvillewomengiving.org/

Teton Valley Ranch Camp

Teton Valley Ranch Camp (TVRC) was established in 1939 to provide unique, challenging, and fun western and backcountry experiences to campers. It is located on 2,300 acres of land, bordered on all sides by National Forest and other state and federal lands. When campers head out on the trails, they follow in the footsteps of cowboys and cowgirls who have worked the land for generations and have the chance to catch sight of deer, elk, pronghorn antelope, and moose.

TVRC offers five levels of programming from 11-year-old Yearlings to 16-year-old Trail Blazers, encouraging progressive attendance as campers’ skill advance. Campers can focus on specific areas of interest including backpacking, horseback riding, and fly fishing. Some of the camp’s core values include stewardship, lifelong friendship, and having both the strength to lead and the faith to follow.

The TVRC Education Foundation, formed 61 years after the camp was established, seeks to provide educational excellence in camp programming in an enriching western environment. They took over the Camp when the founding family was ready to pass it on, locating a new ranch and developing the land to serve campers for generations to come. The Camp offers two-week and four-week sessions and will welcome over 300 campers this summer.

TVRC continues to provide a journey of discovery for every camper, allowing a space for traditions, growth, and a chance to be connected to the self and the wilderness that they adventure in. To celebrate the Camp’s 80th anniversary, the TVRC Education Foundation published a book looking back on decades of Camp history.

To learn more about TVRC, please visit https://www.tvrcamp.org/