Spring Garden Waldorf School will honor and award former student, April Jones, with The Waldorf Difference Award during our 32nd Annual Benefit Auction on May 8, 2021. This annual award is given to a former student who has brought about positive change in the world. April is being honored specifically for her work in the food justice and food sovereignty movement.
After the sudden closing of the only two grocery stores in April’s neighborhood in downtown Columbia South Carolina, she founded the Pinehurst Farmers Market and the Pinehurst Community Action nonprofit to restore her community’s access to fresh food and improve food access.
April says, “I was inspired by the words of Leah Penniman, author of Farming While Black, who said to me, ‘no one is going to come and save you. You have to save yourself and your community.’ I took those words as a call to action to be the change and inspiration I was looking for, and to engage my community in growth in the food movement.”
April credits some of her will to serve to the dedication of her teachers at Spring Garden Waldorf School: “I think of all the sacrifices that my teacher Mrs. Woodard made to ensure all her students were well rounded and educated. All of the teachers at Spring Garden gave their all to benefit others, and their model of commitment, honesty and fairness taught me important values that I will cherish, and impart to my child. I try to honor their legacy in my sustainable work at the Pinehurst Farmers Market and the Pinehurst Community Action Non Profit.”
April has many fond memories of her time at Spring Garden and is pleased the school is thriving and offering the local community an opportunity to experience Waldorf education:
“When I think of Spring Garden, I remember so many happy times. The teachers were outstanding, my classmates are an extended family and the festivals, were just so much fun! Of course I have fond memories of playing outside at recess, with my friends, the Shakespeare plays, gym time, and working on a wonderfully intricate knitting project. All of those memories, friends and tasks, helped to shape me into the woman that I am today. I will forever be grateful for my time at Spring Garden, and I am so ecstatic that future generations can participate in the wonder of a Waldorf Education.”
Thank you, April, for inspiring our school community with your amazing work out in the world. We appreciate you!
