Charity Krueger will never forget it either. It was one of the special moments that have made her 33-year career as executive director of the environmental complex so meaningful.
The folks who love Aullwood — and Charity — are gearing up to bid their leader farewell at a festive celebration next weekend.
Krueger leaves behind an impressive legacy. During her years as director, Aullwood’s budget has grown from $320,000 to $1,353,459. The full-time staff has increased from 7 to 13; the part-time staff has gone from 15 to 25. Aullwood had 150 volunteers when Krueger became director; today there are 1,045. And the attendance on site and through outreach activities has increased from 37,000 to 115,000 with Friends of Aullwood membership going from 1,000 to 1,700 families.
Her successor is Alexis Faust, most recently president and CEO of Taltree Arboretum and Gardens in Valparaiso, Indiana. Faust began her new job July 1.
We asked Charity to reflect on the highlights of the past three decades of her career.
Q. Can you tell us about some of your proudest accomplishments?
A. I have always loved creating innovative education initiatives and this has been the most fulfilling aspect of my job. Some of my favorites include:
• Sharing environmental messages in a weekly half-page educational series in the Dayton Daily News entitled “Our Earth A-Z.” It was designed for children, teachers and adults. By engaging Audubon chapter leaders, this series was syndicated to newspapers in 18 states reaching millions of readers during its two year publishing history.
• Our international conservation initiative, “Earth No Boundaries,” was created to focus attention on the need to preserve habitats in North and Central America for threatened migrant birds. A Spanish/English bilingual conservation program was implemented, touching the lives of 5,000 children and adults through a cross-cultural exchange with four countries –USA (Ohio), Canada, El Salvador and Guatemala.
• Aullwood’s innovative partnership with the Dayton International Airport initially converted 125-acres of airport land into the Paul E. Knoop Jr. Prairie Preserve, to attract threatened grassland birds such as Grasshopper and Henslow Sparrows, Meadowlarks and Bobolinks. This spring a 270-acre prairie was planted. Aullwood staff and volunteers are conducting studies to determine if prairie habitats that attract small birds will reduce bird strike incidents with planes. If this is documented, airports across the country may convert turf and agriculture lands into prairie habitats for some of our most threatened songbirds.
• It was an honor to lead capital campaigns that tripled the size of the Marie S. Aull Education Center, created the accessible Birds, Flight and the Wrights Trail, renovated the entire farm complex, tripled Aullwood’s endowments and created a new Farm Discovery Center and the Wyse Family Pavilion. And who will forget the project to rebuild the Bank Barn in 1987-88?
Q. What will you miss the most?
A. The people, the land and our mission to inspire, teach and involve. The challenges and the opportunities to change lives and instill a conservation ethic. The one thing that we have in common is the Earth.
Q. How does Aullwood make a difference in people's lives?
A. The development of education initiatives to meet the needs of at-risk youth has resulted in the creation of stellar programs such as the Aullwood Adventures School Program, Aullwood REACHES (Real Experiences Arouse Curiosity, Helping Everyone Succeed), Aullwood READS (Resources for Earth and Agriculture Discovered and Shared) and STEMing Science into Conservation Action.
Creating the first Nature and Farm Head Start Preschool in the country located on a working farm was very rewarding. Some of my favorite memories involve watching children grow up at Aullwood and then return with their children. These memories bring tears to my eyes as I move from this special place called Aullwood to my 85-acre farm on Hemlock Lake in south central Michigan.
Q. Why is it important to get children close to nature and how can it impact their lives as they grow up?
A. During the 2014-15 school year, 280 fifth-grade and high school students from six Dayton City STEM schools as well as students from Central State University (CSU) were engaged in an incredible program, STEMing Science and Research into Conservation Action. Students participated in field trips at Aullwood that brought science alive through many hands-on experiences, integrating science, math, natural history and reading.
Q. What's on your bucket list for retirement?
A. Become a farmer in Michigan and renovate several buildings on my farm. Enroll the farm and lake frontage in a conservation easement so the land will always be preserved.
Travel, fish, ski, kayak, garden, dance, paint, write and become involved in conservation and education activities in Michigan. Turn challenges into opportunities and change the world one step at a time and have fun.
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