Letter: Thanks for the support

I would like to thank all those who believed in and supported me before, during and since the hostile takeover and my dismissal as the executive director of the program I founded, Growing Food Forward, by board President Andrea Matthews, Vice President Anita Sherman, Treasurer Tim Stolley and Secretary Carly Knauf. I’m grateful to Garfield County District Attorney Sherry Caloia for the thorough though unwarranted investigation that exonerated me from any wrongdoing and am calling for the entire board to resign immediately and post 30-day public notice of elections of a new board.

We enjoyed many successes from March 2013 through March of this year, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the efforts and vision of all our partner organizations, volunteers and donors.

Our accomplishments were made possible by Botanical Interests Seeds, Colorado Mountain College students and staff, Yampah Mountain High School students and staff, Good Seed Community Garden/The Orchard, the Third Street Center, Ascendigo, the Pitkin County Landfill, Diana Alcantara and her summer school students, the Gregg Adams family, the town of Carbondale, Lift-Up, the John McBride family, Rep. Bob Rankin, Jim and Connie Calaway, the Aspen Baguettes Donor Advised Fund, the Aspen Community Foundation, the Garfield County Board of Commissioners, LiveWell Garfield County, the city of Rifle, Chandra Starr and her Million Penny Project, Gallegos Masonry, the Smoke Shop, Mancinelli’s, Gould Construction, Len Hennig, ACCESS Roaring Fork, ABC Tree & Lawn Care, Niemann’s Gardens, Loya Trucking, the city of Glenwood Springs, Osage Gardens, BBB Heirloom Seeds, Upward Bound, Action Shop Services, Dwyer Greens & Flowers, Bill and Ellen Hunt, Jim Lord American Family Insurance Agency, the Roaring Fork School District, Garfield County Libraries, Pitkin County Library, Scott Condon, who has done a great job of reporting our activities in The Aspen Times, The River, Farm Fresh Cafe, all you land donors and all you amazing gardeners who grew food for Lift-Up and volunteers who gave so much.

A special thank-you to Natalie Rae Fuller, Tim Whitsitt and all those who gave their advice, hard work and support via the “Keep Kim Growing Forward” Facebook page over the past four months and you donors to the crowdfund who are helping me get back on my feet.

Please know that space is short but I’m appreciative of all of you I have missed naming in this letter and grateful beyond words for wonderful memories, conversations, successes and communities we strengthened because of each and every one of you. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I’m still standing strong because of your support and moving our work to the next level immediately through Growing Empowerment, a collaborative effort with partner organizations and volunteers.

Kim Doyle Wille

Founder, Growing Food Forward