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Posted by: Bridgett Hernandez

  • 06/10/2022

Nurturing Growth

Did you notice anything different about the summer Quarterly? It’s been 36 years since the Quarterly front cover had people on it. For this edition, we wanted to do something different and celebrate YOU! ACRES members make our mission possible. We all work together nurturing growth and protecting places we love.

In this letter, ACRES Office Manager Natasha Manor shares how you can help nurture growth.

Dear ACRES members,

Together, the staff brainstormed this Summer Quarterly’s theme, “nurturing growth,” a phrase capturing a unique-to-ACRES call to action. ACRES is currently in the middle of a four-year strategic plan focusing on increasing the organization’s capacity. While emphasis has been on increasing acquisition and expanding care of local lands we protect, it’s also critical that we “nurture growth” in every aspect of the organization. To achieve our mission of permanently protecting land in our region, ACRES must welcome more members, donors, volunteers and other partners.

This issue focuses on the many ways you can help ACRES nurture growth, such as joining the Acorn Society, sharing ACRES with a friend, participating in a volunteer workday or even controlling invasive plants in your own yard. An obvious way you can “nurture growth” with us is through donations. As Office Manager, I process each donation, from a credit card donation for $20 to a check for $20,000. Growth in the number and amount of donations would allow us to grow the number of local acres protected and expand restoration projects to increase the health and vitality of our preserves. I also process payroll and issue payments. As the organization grows, so do our expenses. Donations pay for essentials needed to nurture growth, such as equipment repairs, liability insurance, seeds for restoration projects and printing this Quarterly. Growth in donations will also allow ACRES to welcome more staff and volunteers who carry out our daily work on and off the preserves.

As I process our financial and human resources needs, I’m often the first person to see growth at ACRES. As a home gardener who enjoys “nurturing growth,” I know nurturing takes hard work, time and dedication. It’s rewarding to see new leaves sprout, a blossom open, a butterfly feeding on nectar. It’s exciting to imagine how ACRES can “nurture growth” on the land through increased acreage or by carrying out more stewardship projects in the preserves through each additional donation, new staff member or volunteer.

With your help, we can nurture the growth of special places and, in so doing, nurture the plants, animals and people that depend on these places. Thank you for nurturing growth with us.

Sincerely,

Natasha Manor
ACRES Office Manager

This article originally appeared in the Summer 2022 ACRES Quarterly, mailed to members each season. The 20-page Quarterly features ACRES news, stories and events. You can subscribe by becoming an ACRES member with a donation of $20 or more. Click here to learn more!