Hello to all the friends of Schoolyard Gardens! My name is Josh Ellermann, and I will be serving as the Schoolyard Gardens Assistant for Kansas City Community Gardens from August 2017- July 2018. Having spent just three days on staff, I have been thoroughly inspired by the impact KCCG makes in Kansas City and am excited to be a part of growing gardens and community as an AmeriCorps member this year!

Just a bit about who I am and where I came from:

I grew up in Kansas City, Missouri in the Brookside area. I have many wonderful memories of biking down the Trolley Trail to the Plaza, walking up to the Roasterie Café to get coffee with my friends, and visiting zany bookstores in Westport.

I went to high school at Bishop Miege in Kansas, and spent 4 years growing in my love of writing, social justice, art, literature, and Spanish. In 2017, I graduated from Truman State University with degrees in Sustainable Development and Economics and a minor in Spanish.

While attending Truman State University and living in Kirksville, I became very active in the food justice movement, and developed a passion for ecologically-sound agricultural practices that support local economies and communities. I participated in various community organizations to feed this growing interest, including the on-campus community garden, the Truman State University Farm, and a local nonprofit called the Green Thumb Project.

I am extremely excited to serve with Kansas City Community Gardens and promote healthy living in my hometown through gardening. In particular, I look forward to teaching lessons with the kiddos, continuing to expand my knowledge of common (and some not so common) garden crops, and learning about the process of setting up a new schoolyard garden.

KCCG has a lot of knowledge that it offers to the community, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to learn and grow while I serve as an AmeriCorps member!