Second Annual Beads for Seeds Fundraiser

August 6, 2010

Helena, Montana

Thanks to Elizabeth Andrews for hosting this event in her lovely garden!

Trip to Ukraine - May 2010

June 19, 2010

Greetings,

I hope everyone is enjoying spring time in the Rockies and you have planted gardens for this summer.

In May I took a wonderful trip to Ukraine with my sister Lynnise Stoltzfus. As part of my Beads for Seeds project we planted vegetable gardens, distributed seeds, tools and other supplies to help start children’s vegetable gardens. We spent 3 weeks visiting orphanages, schools, families and churches, digging in the soil and playing with children. It was a very rewarding experience.

The seeds and supplies for starting these children’s gardens were funded through my Beads for Seeds fund raiser I had in Helena last August. Thanks to your support of my project, we were able to build and plant vegetable beds, distribute seeds and tools, and write a “Children’s Gardens” booklet. The booklet, and all the information from the seed packets I took, were translated into Ukrainian thanks to the invaluable assistance and support of Ira Sulim in Vinnytsia.

It was through Lynnise’s organization, Catalysts for Kids, that we were able to meet with directors, teachers and parents and connect with organizations and individuals who are interested in participating in a Children’s Gardening project. By the end of our 3 week stay we had helped build and plant 4 vegetable beds at Plyskiv, an orphanage for developmentally disabled children. At Ladyzhyn, where the children have physical and mental handicaps, we planted container gardens with radish, tomatoes and cucumbers. At a foster home for 12 children we built 4 raised beds and supplied seeds and tools to get them planted. At four other churches in rural villages we brought seeds, tools and the “Children’s Gardens” booklet.

Everyone was interested in the seeds we brought. The seeds for lemon cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and green beans (like Americans eat for Thanksgiving) were a great hit, as they are not available there. Some weren’t sure they could grow the Black Mountain and Sweet Siberian watermelons. We explained all the varieties we provided could be grown in Montana, which has a shorter growing season than the Vinnytsia Olblast area.

This project has been a good learning experience for me in diplomacy, education and respect for other cultures. Almost everyone in Ukraine gardens, most front yard are planted in vegetables, not grass. People who live in flats have a plot of ground outside of the city where they grow their food. As we traveled the country side the hills around each village were filled with large vegetable gardens. It was a beautiful sight! Therefore it was important for me to present my ideas for children’s gardens as a different way to garden, as they all know how to grow vegetables, I did not want to come across as an American telling them how to garden when it is a way of life for them.

Through a translator, we explained and discussed the benefits of raised beds and the concepts of intensive gardening, where lots of vegetables can be grown in a small area. I encouraged teachers to use building a garden and growing vegetables as a teaching tool, and we provided some example projects and supplies. I told them I hoped that besides being educational, the gardens would be a fun experience for children.

Thanks again to all of you for your support for the Beads for Seeds project. I will be in Montana by the end of June. I plan to have another fund raiser this summer so that the Children’s Gardens can continue to develop and expand. Besides my jewelry, I will have crafts from Belize, Honduras, Guatemala and the San Blas Islands of Panama. I will also have pictures and more information about our trip. I plan to provide information about similar gardening projects in the Helena area, and hope to inspire you to plant more vegetables in your yard

See you this summer, Rayene Lehmann

Thank you letter

September 2009
Greeting,
I hope this finds all of you up North enjoying the coming winter season. I wanted to say thank you to everyone who participated in the Beads for Seeds fundraiser I had in August. Thanks to everyone's purchases and support I was able to raise almost $1,000.00. The seeds have been purchased and will be going to the Ukraine in November. Ira Sulim-Kolier, who works for Catalysts for Kids in the Ukraine will distribute the seeds in the spring.
I purchased a number of varieties of carrots, cucumbers, beans, kohlrabi, peas, sweet peppers, radish, tomatoes, and watermelons. Most of the seeds were purchased from Seed Savers Exchange or Fishers Seeds in Belgrade Montana. All seeds all open-pollinated.
I have been working with my sister Lynnise Stoltzfus and Catalysts for Kids to draft a letter to orphanage directors and school administrators explaining what my goals are with the Beads for Seeds program. It has been an interesting experience learning to present my ideas and respect the cultural differences and hope my intentions do not get lost in translation! My hope is that growing a vegetable garden will be a fun and educational project for the children, as well as providing them with nutritious foods.
My goals for Beads for Seeds are evolving as ideas and possible problems are presented from people in the Ukraine who are interested in gardens for children (for example, there maybe be a space for a garden, but the village cows wander through, so a fence would be needed.) It is a fun process and at this time I am not sure what directions this project will take. I will keep you posted.
For now my husband and I have loaded our "home", the sailing vessel KRISTIANA, with food, water and fuel and we are heading out to do some sailing and fishing in Belize.
Thanks again to everyone for your support,
Rayene Lehmann
Beads for Seeds
A Global Gardening Project

First Annual Beads for Seeds

August 28th I held the first Beads for Seeds fundraiser in Helena Montana. This fundraiser was held in partnership with "Catalyst for Kids" a non-profit organization organized by my sister Lynnise Stoltzfus (www.catalystforkids.info). My objective was to raise money by selling my polymer clay jewelry to purchase vegetable seeds for orphanages in the Ukraine.
Elizabeth Andrews generously had the event in her wonderful garden. It was a perfect summer evening in Montana. About 25 people participated in the fundraiser. We had great appetizers, thanks to the generous contributions of friends and family, including pesto, raspberry jam, vegetables, apple muffins all made from fresh garden ingredients.
Thanks to everyone's generous participation and purchases, I was able to raise about $1,000.00. The Real Food Store in Helena was having an end of season sale, and all their seeds were half price. Most of their seeds are from Seed Savers Exchange. Seed Savers Exchange only sells open-pollinated varieties. Since my birthday is at the end of August, I was able to take advantage of the 10% discount the Real Food Store offers for your birthday, and make a significant purchase of seeds.
I purchased the rest of the vegetable seeds from Fishers Seeds in Belgrade, Montana. Fishers carries mostly open-pollinated varieties also. Between the two sources, I have a great variety of vegetable seeds, most of which meet my criteria for "Snackscaping", which means the veggies are meant to be eaten right out of the garden. I will post a list of seeds purchased.
In November the seeds will be taken to the Ukraine. Ira, who works for Catalyst for Kids in the Ukraine will keep the seeds until planting time in the spring. At this time I am contacting directors of orphanages with a list of guidelines I have for this gardening project.
So THANK YOU so much to everyone who participated in my first Beads for Seeds event. I am already planning to have another fundraiser in the summer of 2010, with ideas for other garden related items to sell.
But until then, my husband and I are planning to leave the marina in the Rio Dulce, Guatemala, and take our "home", the sailing vessel "Kristiana" sailing in Belize. Rayene