Greetings JP+ Family!

We did it!!! For the past year I have been talking about opening the first commercial Tower Farms greenhouse run by foster care youth in America! Just last month, on a cold, snowy morning on a dirt road in the mountains of Appalachia, with no Internet, in front of local, state, and national media, WE CUT THE RIBBON while planting over 3,000 seedlings with our partners at Marshall University!!

This Tower Farm, modeled after our classroom in the Bronx, has 20 towers and will have a kitchen, classroom and food processing facility. It will generate food and jobs in one of the poorest regions of our country – all run by foster care youth. This spring we will open 21 tiny homes for boys who are aging out of foster care and would otherwise have nowhere else to live: jobs, food, education and equitable housing…talk about INSPIRING HEALTHY LIVING!

I want to publicly thank Authorized Commercial Representative Gary Hughes and the Tower Farms team, and every one of you who has helped support the project. There have been inspiring articles and blurbs about the project and I am posting shareable content regularly on the Green Bronx Machine and Stephen Ritz Facebook pages. The response has been phenomenal: there is already talk of replicating this model statewide and elsewhere, and I look forward to continuing to share the news and successes of these children with all of you!

For those of you who haven’t yet seen our Tower Garden episode on Project Explorer, you can watch and share it here. Be sure to share with a prospect! The episode is now being shown on all Emirates Airlines flights globally – talk about viral content!

As we are in the season of thanks and of celebrations and giving, I want to thank all of you for your support: the love I get from my Juice Plus+ Family continues to amaze me. Please know that I and all the children we serve are truly grateful. Together we are changing lives daily.

Please remember that the best gift you can give a loved one is the gift of good health and the gift of time. Long after the shiny objects and the next fad comes and goes, it is our health and shared memories that nourish us. Speaking of nourishment, please eat joyously, thoughtfully and in moderation and ENJOY – your body, spirit and the planet will thank you.

Lastly, I’m thrilled to share that after recently posting a grants portal on the Green Bronx Machine website. Over 200 of my Juice Plus+ friends and extended family have written grants that have resulted in the independent funding of Tower Gardens, school supplies, computers and other items that inspire healthy living and healthy learning aligned to a greater good, while growing their businesses and impact. Think of all the children we can touch!

In that spirit, I’m planning to do a LIVE, online, grant-writing webinar in late January 2020 so that all of you can learn how to access funding for schools, community organizations, non-profits and senior centers in time for spring and next fall. The details will be posted in December.

For those of you running in the St. Jude Memphis Marathon, run your best and remember it is about the journey, not the destination. Thanks to all others who are supporting our heroes in this noble cause. As always, I look forward to hearing from you, and you can stay in touch with me via Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Happy holidays, always forward and remember: FIND YOUR FLAME AND KEEP IT LIT!

Much love,

Stephen

For news and information about teaching, learning, and Tower Gardening with children, follow Green Bronx Machine. For issues about sustainability, health, wellness, and innovation, follow Stephen Ritz.