108: Darren Chapman on Stimulating Community Development
Using Urban Agriscaping to improve neighborhoods
Darren is a community pro-activist who has committed his life to helping people. He is Founder and CEO of TigerMountain Foundation (a.k.a. TMF), which has implemented Empowerment Initiatives to uplift communities and eliminate blight. Tiger Mountain’s initiatives are community garden / landscaping development, audio, visual and performance art, community service and volunteerism. The gardens promote healthy living by growing lush-gardens and feeding the community.
TigerMountain Foundation’s Asset Based Community Development model was developed with the thought of urban renewal and restoration of communities. Participants who stay engaged are motivated to keep positive and will develop their individual very important assets. Darren’s motto is to change one mind and attitude at a time, encouraging all who have been touched to pay it forward, which will undoubtedly make the immediate community and the world a better place to live. Darren currently resides and works in the Phoenix Metropolitan area.
Listen in and learn about:
- The “path of most resistance” and how that got him to where he is now
- His young life expectation to not get past age 26 and what happened on his 25th birthday that became his “Aha” moment
- The inspiration of his Grandparents and their Urban Garden in ‘Fruittown’ in South Central Los Angeles
- Being pro-active and looking for legitimate strains of income to help himself and his community
- Helping at risk youth to make changes in their own lives
- Moving to South Phoenix and eventually forming the TigerMountain Foundation
- His first community garden and how the community reacted
- How they developed a business plan to offer produce to restaurants and farmers markets
- What agriscaping is and how they use it in their community
- How they have gardeners from age 4 up to 84 participating
- Building an inclusive program for every community despite having a lot to learn about growing a business
- What TigerMountain’s end game strategy is and how Greg Peterson fit into that development
- How the foundation gives hope to their neighborhoods
- Who they are working with to help train their participants with skills they can use to develop businesses of their own
As well as:
- Biggest Failures – his story about choosing to live in the mountains for 2-3 years, and the one of learning from the IRS how to properly turn the “legitimate business stream” into a non-profit business
- Biggest Success –his story of his family and maturing into a person who can positively impact others
- What drives him to be epic, and
- His final piece of advice for Urban Farm podcast listeners
How to get in touch with TigerMountain Foundation:
www.TigerMountainFoundation.org
On Facebook: TigerMountain Foundation
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