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My Name Is Jon Lee Rucker

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First I want to say thank you very much to every single person that has ever given me support along my journey. Without you I would not have been able to accomplish all the tasks on this path.
I would not be the man I am today without you. 

My name is Jon Lee Rucker, I am a brother to many, a son, an uncle and a lover of people animals and nature.
I am also the Founder of PermaJam   and a community organizer, but first and foremost I am a singer, songwriter and a poet.

Recent Interview about PermaJam starts 15min and 20sec
I'm calling out for support so that I can keep doing my best to support the growth of communities, farms and beautiful culture.

To me it is clear that I am on the right path and have been for over 8 years, living a life of service to community and to the Earth, Great Spirit by my side.

Looking back over the last 8 years, I'm deeply grateful to have participated in so many beautiful circles. 
Below are some of the Highlights:

-2008 - I became passionately concerned for the environment and humanity. Researching relentlessly and began a life of activism.
-2009 - I'm organizing presentations and meet-ups to raise awareness about current issues.
Issues that hardly anyone was talking about back then.
-2010- Continuing with research and activism, I organized "Occupy Rockland" (a local off shoot of "Occupy WallStreet".)
-2011 - Became a farmer for the Rockland Farm Alliance   and in our first year as a bio-dynamic CSA we grew food for 200 families, and became certified in Bio-Dynamic Agriculture.
That same year I co-organized with the Ramapough Lenape   a rally to prevent a Fracked Gas Pipeline from going through their sacred land.
-2012-13 I co-founded with 5 other young people, the Eastern Light Project (ELP). ELP was a sustainability center demonstrating suburban scale permaculture on 25 acres. We had hundreds of people attending our workshops and gatherings. We lived off the land and we shared with our neighbors.
During that same time, we worked diligently to protect our neighboring wetlands from a Super Walmart and High Density Housing Development Project. The project was haulted!
We also participated in rallies to stop a Water Desalinization Plant from being built on the Hudson River. We rallied to close Indian Point.
I occasionally volunteered for the Rockland Farm Alliance. We played music at local farmers markets, charity events, MLK celebration, and even presented to college students about Eastern Light Project.
We traveled in the winter to visit EcoVillages and Sustainable Communities.
-2014 - Began creating PermaJam through volunteering and networking. Got to open for Rising Appalachia   at the Permaculture Convergence in Maine! 
-Winter 2016 - Organized a group of 12 artists, activists and musicians on a PermaJam BioDiesel Bus Tour of EcoVillages and Community Farms to volunteer our artistic talents and our hands.
-Summer 2016 - Co-organized the first PermaJam Festival with about 300 people in attendance. Got to perform on stage with Supaman and Lyla June Johnson ! 
-2017 - Co-organized the 2nd PermaJam Festival with about 600 people in attendance. The event was a spiritual experience with education and wholesome activities.
2014-2017 I helped co-organize the Two Row Wampum   9 day paddle journey down the Hudson. We are planning our row for August 2018 and everyone is welcome in a spirit of solidarity and prayer.
When I wasn't doing all that jazz I volunteered in a variety of other ways, designing and creating gardens, helping friends move, speaking and singing for elementary schools, chopping wood for ceremonies, promoting activism, rallying to stop GMO's, fracking, and countless causes, produced an album for "The Radicans" and recorded many bands, babysitting lots of children, playing music for charities, a number of visits to the United Nations, leading foraging walks, organizing events to save the bees, even rescued a rabbit, turtle and a deer, and gave a lot of brotherly and emotional support to people as well as time to help develop ideas and projects.

CURRENTLY:

2017 was both the most beautiful and challenging year of my life.
I've never been so blessed and surrounded by more then just a community but a family.
PermaJam 2017 put me in significant debt, close to $25,000, I have since worked that debt down to almost half, through physical labor.
It was a learning experience, which helped me to better understand PermaJam and how to make it a sustainable model.
Since that time I have been working almost every day doing tree service and construction work to pay back every single person owed.
I don't complain.

My purpose was to do something for the community, that would benefit all of us. Hundreds of people came and had an amazing and powerful experience, when all was said and done I had to pay for it, with love and honor.

Working so hard and so much I have not had the time and energy to focus on all of the things that are calling for my support and attention right now.

I need to shift gears, it is time and devote all of my attention to organizing the 2018 PermaJam event which is being held at "Blossom Dell Sanctuary " - 125 acres in Bloomingburg NY.
This years gathering will bring support to that land to build permaculture and will touch people on an even deeper level then before.

I am calling out to you at this time,
To ask for your support in reaching the goal of $10,000 and pay every one back.

If I can raise $15,000 dollars then I can also buy a van and be better able to commute to Blossom Dell, my community in Brooklyn NY as well as the many farms, events and places that are asking for my support in the coming Spring, Summer and Fall.

This is what I need so that I can give my best to the the world, to my community and to the future generations. I'm asking for your support to help me continue on my path.

Thank you with all my heart.

Some givebacks for your donations:
$25 - A small book of my poetry
$30 - A guided educational foraging walk to learn about Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Northeast. (Scheduled April-October 2018)
$75 - 3 Foraging Walks
$108 - 3 Bundles of Wild Herbs and Tinctures that you'll receive one in the Spring, Summer and Fall of 2018.
$250 - 3 Delux Bundles of Wild Herbs and Tinctures that you'll receive in the Spring, Summer and Fall of 2018 ($400 Value)

Organizer

Jon Lee Rucker
Organizer
Brooklyn, NY

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