"Cricket" - Melissa Duggan

Core Contribution: "Creative Passion"

Caring, beauty, inspiration, energy, tirelessness, art, love, gentleness, sensitivity - the feelings that Cricket brings to everything she does.

Current Activities:

Living in a cabin with a Leaf as a husband and a tiny new spring Bud to take care of daily. In between washing diapers and nursing, I milk our Jersey cow and drool hungrily as butter, cheddar cheese and ice cream fill our fridge and freezer. The organic gardens are nurturing a community of 9, plus volunteers and guests. West Ironbound Island holds our flock of sheep and our two Norwegian Fjord Ponies are being trained to both haul and ride. Rock on.

Leadership Contributions: 1993 - ongoing

Many, many roles over many years from participating in day camps and Sunship as a kid to being a team leader for Vision 20/20 and the program coordinator for Mysterious Encounters and Winter Treasures.

Personal Reflection on the AEC:

I did it for the Money. no wait, that's not right... At first it was the people that drew me in, seriously interesting people running ridiculously unique and compelling programs. What a way to spend my summers! Very quickly, being in the woods felt familiar, a sense of belonging and attachment reminded me that once upon a time I was also a forest creature. Learning about the impact that me and the people of my culture have on this planet has inspired me to be critical enough about the choices I make that my life has become a creative adventure. The obvious next step to living in the city and teaching about clean air and fresh water, was to re-locate to a place that really had those things. I don’t forget my roots though, I'm grateful for these programs, the nature of which brings out the best in people, and to the creative minds behind their humble beginnings.