As you know I’ve been on a community building mission for many years with the Avant Gardeners, working with at risk street youth and  bringing people together with uplifting creative events and performances.

What you probably didn’t know is that much of the work I do, I do for free or am underpaid for. Even though it’s financially challenging sometimes, I just do it because I realize it’s the right thing to do, it’s much needed, and I have the capacity to do it.

I’m reaching out to ask you to donate to my Patreon account to help make the work I do more sustainable for my family and future. Below I have listed the projects I’m currently involved in, so that you can see the impact I am having, and thus what your funds would be supporting.

Projects Plaedo Purely Volunteers for:

• The People’s Garden - Project Manager - The Peoples Garden is a project that exist to educate and empower traditionally marginalized communities in the Eugene Springfield area. Throughout the main growing season educational work parties are hosted, at Harvest time, food is given to Burrito Brigade, from which Burrito Brigade then gives out free burritos through town each Sunday.

• Grow A Row For Occupy Medical - Project Manager - The Grow A Row for Occupy Medical campaign focuses each year on having households grow medicinal plants, specifically Ashwagandha and Spilanthes that they donate, at Harvest time to Occupy Medical, from which Occupy Medical uses the herbs to freely give medicine to those in need in our community.

• Churchill High School Garden - Group Facilitator - The Churchill High School Garden Program exist to educate and empower Churchill High School Students to grow their food as well as to increase understanding of ecological and sociological issues regarding food.

• Youtube/Instagram Video Series - Artist/Educator - Plaedo routinely releases motivational speaking videos, poems, and song video’s to enlighten and uplift people in their days.

• Poetry Mentor For ACT-SO (NAACP) Youth - Mentor - Plaedo mentors youth to help them develop their poetry.

• Avant Gardeners - Lead Community Organizer - Plaedo organizes and coordinates a variety of tasks for the Eugene Avant Gardeners, from organizing meetings and booth appearances at events like the Whiteaker Community Market, to sending out newsletters and coordinating projects such as the free veggie starts yearly campaign and the Voices of AG Podcast.

• Village School - Volunteer - Plaedo is a regular volunteer at the Village School, often helping with field trips, fundraisers and other school events.

• At Risk Youth Mentor - Mentor - Plaedo regularly mentors at Risk Youth in the Eugene Springfield area. Plaedo was an at risk youth himself and is particularly passionate about providing support for youth on the streets.

Projects Plaedo In Which The Pay Is Inconsistent/Donation Based

• Hacky Sack Philosophy - Teacher/Workshop Facilitator - Hacky Sack Philosophy is workshop/workshop series developed to get people, often philosophy students, out of their head and into their bodies, out of the classroom and into the world. Hacky Sack Philosophy focuses on how we communicate, attention is given to developing students ability to slow down and listen, to question, to gently but firmly hold their hacky sack partners accountable for their logical fallacies as we debate the great philosophical questions of our age around technology, identity, sustainability, economics, climate change, and politics, searching not for who is right, but through debate and collaborative conversation, what is right. This is a unique philosophy course that incorporates the understanding that physical activity aides in intellectual learning and that the most useful philosophy is relevant to how one lives their life. Plaedo has taught Hacky Sack Philosophy for Peace Jam and Oak Hill among other avenues for presentation.

• Public Speaking, Spoken Word Poetry, Music Performance - Plaedo does paid and unpaid speaking gigs. Speeches are motivational and inspirational by nature, as are spoken word poetry and hip hop music performances.

• Empowered Leadership Trainings - Facilitator - Plaedo facilitates Empowering Leadership trainings focused on helping people become the best leaders they can be.

• Art of Protest - Workshop Facilitator - The Art of Protest Class is designed to give attendees a historical and philosophical understanding of the relationship between art and social change as well as giving attendees practical instruction for developing and performing street theater, group songs, spoken word poetry, stencil design and various other forms of culture jamming. The Art of Protest workshop has been facilitated at Universities, activist conferences and festivals and is informed by the years Plaedo spent performing protest art on the streets.

• Seasonal Soup Cooking Class/ Garden to The Kitchen Cooking Class - Teacher - Plaedo teaches cooking classes that focus on cooking with local, organic, whole ingredients, a special emphasis is placed on developing healthy diets on a budget.

• Digital Music Production Instructor - Teacher - Plaedo occasionally is booked to teach music production and beatmaking classes to middle school, high school and college aged youth.

If you value, this work, please consider becoming a Patreon for Plaedo. A link to Plaedo’s Patreon can be found here: www.patreon.com/plaedo  Signing up and becoming a Patreon is a easy process that would be much appreciated!

Asking for money is one of the hardest things in the world for me, so I’m only asking because it’s necessary at this point (I could also use a manager if you are capable to helping to make that happen!) Otherwise, I’m afraid some of the work I’m doing might fall to the waist side.

Since I love giving when I receive, I’m offering a bunch of benefits to people who donate including:

• access to new and/or exclusive speeches/music/writings;

• opportunities to collaborate or call upon my services for help with your projects;

• Plus updates so you can see the impact you’re helping me make in our community.

Thank you for your support. It means the world to me (Plaedo) !!!