To each of you who has entrusted us with your child for an hour, granted us funding and resources, or partnered with us in numerous other ways, thank you for making our work possible. We are so grateful for your support! Despite everything 2020 threw at us, SEEDS Ecology & Education Centers persevered and we are stubbornly optimistic about what lies ahead. Here’s a a few highlights of what we accomplished together…

When our partner schools closed, SEEDS After School quickly pivoted to online and distanced engagement. Our teaching staff have sent home over 1300 activity boxes and counting! Each box contains 30-35 hours of hands-on, engaging activities that encourage kids to get outside and be self-reliant on their learning journey.

Open spaces became even more obviously important during the pandemic and some of EcoCorps most significant partners in 2020 were stewards of parklands. The folks who made our season possible include the National Park Foundation, the North Country Trail Association, the Huron-Manistee National Forest, Weldon Township, Manistee County, the National Forest Foundation, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Travese City’s DDA, Oryana Community Co-op, and many others.

SEEDS Energy & Environment services helped the cities of Charlevoix, East Jordan, and Boyne City conduct a feasibility study for collaborative curbside recycling. With the State’s recent focus on “circular-economies” it is a new dawn for waste management best practices in Michigan. SEEDS is closely collaborating with public, nonprofit, and private partners to analyze waste recovery opportunities and will go deep into this work during 2021.

Thank you so very much for trusting us, investing in our mission, and in our people. On behalf of the Staff and Board, here’s to what we get to do next! Warmly,

Sarna Salzman, Executive Director