GIVING THROUGH GENERATIONS

Gandhi once said "be the change you wish to see."

That sentiment personifies Leeann Culbreath, a Georgia Organics board member and volunteer, who has been inspired by others and the world around her to give back to her community. Leeann does not give for the purposes of personal gain, accolades or awards. She gives because she seeks change, and change is not a passive act.

"You can't merely wish for change. You have to commit and be the voice for your cause."

Leeann started giving back at an early age. As a young girl, Leeann combined her curiosity for learning and her passion for the natural world by founding a nature club with a friend. Before long she was mimeographing newsletters and organizing her first fundraiser to save the California condor from extinction.

Her Hungarian roots shaped an earnest work ethic, a charitable disposition and an introduction to subsistence farming. She spent many youthful summers picking and weeding in her grandparents' large garden in northern Ohio. "We took great pride in growing food for our family. When someone announced 'it's from the garden'ä we understood the food's value and quality."

Over the years, Leeann's community involvement has been rooted in environmental issues, particularly wilderness and national forest issues.

But with time, she has come to appreciate the integral importance of sustainable agriculture. "Food, soil and water are so basic. Our very survival depends on a thin layer of fragile topsoil and the right amount of clean water."

Last year, Leeann leveraged her creativity and work experience to assist Georgia Organics with marketing and outreach. She proved to be a professional and dedicated volunteer.

Through her husband's involvement in peanut research, Leeann learned that many individuals were conducting exciting research on organics, but there was a lack of collaboration within the research community and between researchers, growers, and processors. In August, she organized GO's Organic Peanut Panel Discussion in Tifton attended by 100 people.

These days Leeann has a new source of inspiration for giving. Her first child, Zeke, was born in September. "As a new mom, I'm busier than ever. But now the need for sustainable farming seems more urgent than ever. None of us want to poison our children, drinking water, air, soil or wildlifeãor devastate our rural communitiesãbut that's what we're doing with chemical-intensive, industrial agriculture."

By donating time, energy and money to Georgia Organics, Leeann hopes to create a better, healthier world for Zeke's generation, and many more generations to come.