I'm writing this initial blog as a deeply felt THANK YOU to everyone who has helped my dream come to life. A little more than six years ago I started a transition in my life that I did not fully understand the implications of at the time. I knew that I wanted the months leading up to the birth of my first child to be jarring enough that I could not help but change the path an purpose of my life. I knew that I wanted to experience a life profoundly more fulfilling than what I had known to that point. I can stand here today and say that not once did I even know to aspire to feel the way I do on a daily basis now. I am starting the next phase of my life leaving a job of more than a decade, working with Presidents, Secretaries, executives, leaders and inspirational people from all over the world to work for the most underrepresented and hurting people on Earth.
The Great Unifier
What I tapped into those six years ago was a GREAT understanding that is certainly not uniquely my own. It is the understanding that as the perceived differences among humans on this planet are dominating the hearts and minds of so many, there are profoundly more things that unite us. These were the things that I was going to dedicate my life to understanding and perpetuating. At its most basic we can ALL agree that no human can survive more than approximately 4 minutes without oxygen, 4 days without water, and 4 weeks without food. I dub these three basic things as the 'great unifiers.' I let this truth be the foundation of my studies. Having lived in an environment with an over abundance of these basic things I decided to study the people (the more than 2 billion people) that today are struggling to secure them. With ingenuity inspired by the great leaders of peace and justice and women in the slums of Kenya and around the world, I was able to understand that true resilience means not relying on some foreign body to keep your community healthy, but being able to do it yourselves. With this in mind I have designed patent-pending growing systems that can help millions of people... to help themselves.
Growing Pillars
Growing Walls
In the last six years I have been blessed with so many inspired people that have become friends, mentors, partners and supporters. Together we founded a non-profit NGO called Can YA Love (where you can learn more about how we use these growing systems) and launched pilot projects in Africa, Europe and the US and Canada, and now have the opportunity to share what I have been taught with so many that need it on many forums including as the new Director of Sustainability and R&D for Farming 4 Hunger and teaching classes for the College of Southern Maryland and DC Department of Parks and Recreation. (please click the links to register)
What to expect from this blog
I intend for this blog/vlog to be a platform to share my personal path navigating this extraordinary journey. I will share updates on the progress of the CYL Global Community and CYL's new R&D facilities with Farming 4 Hunger (as you can see being built in the photo at the top) at Serenity Farms in Benedict, Md. I will share my personal struggles, dreams, and progress both as a single father and an entrepreneur, pushing for a paradigm shift where these three 'great unifiers' bring people from all walks of life together in a sustainable way... bringing the security and resilience that we all deserve and should wish for the children of every mother.
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