By Emily Frost, Events and Garden Leader Coordinator
Len Lingo was the first garden leader I ever met. It was October of 2010, and right off the bat, it was apparent that this man had a clear vision for the Taxi Community Garden. Len welcomed my colleague and me into the garden, a covert affair tucked behind the creative business community just off the Platte River, known as TAXI. He gave us the tour of the collection of raised beds, noting which plot belonged to whom and what was growing in it. He led us to the picnic table in the back of the garden and told us about the space he had come to care for so much already.
Newly planted raised bed at the Taxi Community GardenTaxi Community Garden opened in Spring 2009, with support from a variety of partners including DUG, Zeppelin Development, Blue and Yellow Logic, and Fuel Cafe. Len, along with his wife Kathy, runs an architect firm in one of the TAXI buildings. He was interested in the garden early on, and became involved in his current role of garden leader during the season of 2010.
During his time as garden leader, Len has gone above and beyond in serving DUG and his fellow gardeners. He compiled a history of the garden, composed weekly newsletters to keep gardeners apprised of any upcoming deadlines and events (it even included garden trivia!), and he coordinated a variety of work days and fundraisers, from “Cupcakes & Cocktails” (pictured) to a collaborative event involving multiple players from the larger TAXI community. This event, called “Take Root. Rise Up” was a fundraiser for three nonprofits located in the TAXI community, including The Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking, SalusWorld, and the Taxi Community Garden. It was hosted at neighboring Fuel Cafe (which, by the way, grows a number of organic veggies in their garden plot for use in their seasonal-based menu) and raised money and awareness for three unique causes linked by a common theme of “community”. Len has also created a webpage for the Taxi Community Garden, which you can visit at: www.taxidug.com.
When I recently bumped into Len at another community fundraising event, where he was supporting his TAXI nonprofit neighbors, I expressed gratitude for all of the fabulous work he was doing as community garden leader. In response, Len smiled, humbly shrugged, and said “It’s really fun,” and gave props to his wonderful co-leader, Stephanie Krause. And that is truly apparent in what DUG has seen Len and the Taxi Community Garden accomplish in its early years. Thank you, Len, for your great attitude and ongoing support. You are a pleasure to work with.
To all of our wonderful volunteer community garden leaders: thank you for the good work that you do daily to keep your communities and your gardens growing. DUG owes many successes to you and your hard work, and we so value your partnership. Let DUG know how we can continue to support you! We can help with grant writing, event planning, garden education and more.
Click here to return to the Spring 2012 edition of The Underground News.
