Fortunately, Imago has had the gift of a committed staff throughout the years, but as our  programs have increased, so has our dependence on those who contribute behind the scenes as contractors, volunteers and office assistants.

Imago has a pivotal support corps that is largely hidden from public view.  Their names are not as publicly known, yet without their consistent assistance our work simply would not get done.  We want to present these “behind the scenes” environmental heroes to you in this issue of Imago News to celebrate their contributions and to possibly encourage others to step forward.  The work of ecology is so crucial and must be bumped up to become everyone’s priority.

In 1983, Mary Danzeisen and her husband Lloyd, were looking for a house with some garden space when they first met Jim and Eileen at a church gathering.  At the time, there were no available houses on Enright Avenue.  Jim kept them in mind and when a house went up for sale three years later, he called them that morning, they came and looked at it, it’s spacious lawn and large, beautiful trees and made an offer on it that evening.  Mary said they were very interested in the whole “community” concept that Imago was promoting, as well as the ecology and  spirituality.  She volunteered in the office several days a week, doing “a little bit of everything” including such things as bookkeeping, proofreading and membership.

Lloyd Danzeisen died in January of ‘96.  He, too, was a consistent and generous contributor.  He and Mary worked for peace and justice throughout their mariage of 43 1/2 years.  After retiring from the Post Office, Lloyd was director of one of the first recycling efforts in the city.  The Danzeisens shared their home and their yard for many Imago events. Mary recently provided living space to our Earth Center Director Chris Clements for a year and a half and continues to help in the office with such things as bulk mailings.

Debora Schak, a member of the Grail, came to live on Enright Avenue in the spring of 1993.  She had just returned from a 22 year stint in Jordan where she had done relief, rehab and development work for the Pontifical Mission for Palestine and was looking for a place to live when a friend and Grail member, Pat Dolan, told her about Imago.  She said she was drawn by “the land, the people, the ecology and the spirituality.”  Over the years she has been involved with Imago in a lot of different capacities.  At one time, she worked in the office, which she is currently beginning to do again.  She has done hours of volunteer work that includes door-to-door surveys, numerous bulk-mailings and computer consulting.  Deborah also takes part in the meals that neighbors on Enright enjoy together each week.

A favorite experience with Debora centers around the early clean-up efforts after Imago purchased the Earth Center property.  She was a vital support and took great pride in the work and in the results produced by the high school student volunteers.  Debora counted  tires pulled from the ravine and remembers they numbered well over 200.

Jerry Ropp, a contractor, has been a member of Imago for 16 years.  He has provided Imago with so many opportunities that it would be safe to say that without him Imago would not be what it is today.

Jerry heard about the organization from Sr. Paula Gonzalez, founder of EarthConnection, while he was working with her as a volunteer on Project LEAP - an alternate lifestyle and energy program in which he helped to rehab a chicken coop into an energy-efficient residence.  He moved onto Enright Avenue and got involved with Imago because the group “promoted sustainable living practices through education and demonstration.”  He has worked on various rehab projects of Imago, including finishing the interior of the Earth Center and making it energy efficient and renovating a house on Enright.  He has also assisted with organic gardening and composting demonstrations.  He recently took on the mammoth task of rehabbing the interior of Imago’s new office space on Warsaw Avenue.  Most especially, Jerry has been the long-time voice to challenge Imago.  Jim remembers Jerry confronting him with, “If you truly believe in the work, you should ask others for funds to support Imago.”

Sharon Rust learned of Imago in 1990, when she met Jim at a one-day spiritual/environmental retreat and was “excited by Imago’s commitment to promoting environmental education and living sustainably in relationship to the Earth.”  She  attended a membership potluck for Imago with her son, Carey in February of 1991 and they have been members ever since.

Over the years, her commitment to Imago has included guiding bookkeepers in the office, working at fundraisers, landscaping at the Earth Center and a rehab house, and serving as treasurer on the Imago council for a year.  Sharon now serves as Accounting Consultant, using her much appreciated expertise to help keep Imago running smoothly.

Bob Neal grew up in Cincinnati, in the Northside area. He is currently married for 12 years and has two daughters, a son, and a granddaughter. After retiring from P&G, he decided to volunteer in the preservation of greenspace. Four years ago, Bob decided to take on the challenge of turning the mass of clay by the Earth Center office into a beautiful flowering garden.  (His assistant, Yasemin Yasa, will be featured in the next issue of the Earth Center’s Volunteer Spotlight.)  He also wrote a proposal to P & G to fund supplies to make the garden what it is today. Outside of Imago, Bob enjoys, of course gardening, writing, (he has contributed several poems to the Imago newsletter) and involvement in preserving land. He started the Concerned Citizens of Western Hamilton County, and is currently involved in a native planting group in Northside. Bob is inspired to do the work he does at the Earth Center and elsewhere by his granddaughter. His wish is for her to be able to enjoy the land just as he does.

Jill Staubitz is a warm, fun-loving, nurturing, free-spirited individual who lives on the west side of Cincinnati with her husband of 30 years. She has 2 sons both attending Ohio State University. She has been with the Earth Center for the last three years, volunteering as a teacher. She first became aware of Imago when she came across an ad in the paper asking for volunteers. She then decided, since both of her children were away at school, to become a volunteer. She enjoys being involved at the Earth Center because she likes the mission and the opportunity to be in touch with children. Away from the Earth Center, she works at a Montessori school in Cincinnati one day a week and also enjoys playing piano, reading, cooking and skiing. Her time and the energy she brings is very much appreciated at the Earth Center.
 
 

STAND STILL AND YOU WILL BE NOTICED
#88  in a series by Jim Schenk

Stand still.
The trees ahead and bushes beside you are not lost.
Wherever you are is called “here” and you must treat it as a powerful stranger, must ask permission to know it and be known.
Listen.   The forest breathes.
It whispers, I have made this place around you.
If you leave it, you may come back again saying, “Here, just here.”
Not two trees are the same to ravens; No two branches the same to wren.
If what a tree or a bush does is lost on you, then you are surely lost.
Stand still - the forest knows where you are and you must let it find you.
              from a Native American Tradition

David Abram, author of The Spell of the Sensuous, Perceptions and Language in a More-Than-Human World, speaks of spending a year living and learning from Shamans of Indonesia.  He discovered that the shamans are not intermediaries between humans and the Spirit world, but between humans and other species.  He also learned during this time to communicate with other species, literally.  When he returned to the states he found that after six months here, he had lost a great deal of this ability.  He was not sure if it was the culture that didn’t support him in this or the lost ability or unwillingness of other species in this country to relate to humans, or a combination.

My first experience happened when my father died in the early 80’s.  I was one of the first of my family to arrive and spent a lot of time making arrangements, supporting my mother, etc.  The morning following the funeral I was exhausted.  The rest of my family went out to wash the windows on our mother’s house - I went for a walk in nearby Hoosier National Forest by the cabins where we were staying.  After walking for a while I sat under a large oak tree.  I listened and I was found.  It was an experience that buoyed me for many months - an experience I had a really difficult time believing.

At times since then, I have had similar experiences.  However, when we began working on the first EarthSpirit Rising Conference in 1997, I was feeling a great deal of anxiety realizing the dimension of what we were taking on and realizing that we could end up financially strapped, not knowing how to publicize the event, etc.  I was walking in the woods, again sat under an oak tree, as a matter of fact, and listened - and again I was found.  From that day on I walked daily in the woods, and was touched by that place, especially at times when I was uncertain as to which way to proceed.

It is interesting how, as a culture, we can believe that if we pray to a supernatural being we can find answers - and that seems to make sense to people.  To connect through the natural world is considered strange and totally unacceptable.

There really have been so many wonderful people who have helped in the creation of Imago.  But for me, the greatest “behind the scenes” help has been from the woods behind Imago’s office, behind our house.  While I go out into these woods almost every day, Sundays are my favorite time - when I go with the support of other people.  It is a time when we, together.  Go and stand still.  It is a time when we can share being found.
 

Calendar

December
Sundays          Sunday Mornings - Come Listen to the Woods - Celebration at the Medicine Wheel, meditation in the              adjoining woods.  9-10 A.M. at Imago, 553 Enright Ave., Cincinnati, OH.

Fri., 1              First Friday  - Potluck at 6:30 P.M. at 537 Enright Avenue.  Program following:  “Songs and Poems of Earth and Spirit” presented by Deborah Jordan.  Bring a song or poem to share if you’d like.

Fri., 8              The Natural Step to Sustainability - a workshop offering a straightforward guide for living sustainably,    presented by Diane DePuydt and Isabelle Healy.  CEUs offered.  9 A.M. - 4:30 P.M.  Please call for location.  921-5124.

Sun., 17          Winter Solstice Celebration - 7 P.M. at EarthConnection, 370 Neeb Road.  Bring a snack to share.
 

January
Sundays          Sunday Mornings - Come Listen to the Woods - Celebration at the Medicine Wheel, meditation in the    adjoining woods.  9-10 A.M. at Imago, 553 Enright Ave., Cincinnati, OH.

Fri., 5              First Friday  - Potluck at 6:30 P.M. at 537 Enright Avenue.  Program following:  “An Outdoor Play Staged    Indoors:  Bring Your Flashlight!” Participatory drama presented by Judy Bechtel.