rhett currier
board member, Donor, Sustainer
Rhett is one of Sustainable Harvest International’s biggest cheerleaders. She’s been working with and supporting SHI for more than twenty years. Today, she’s proud to be a monthly sustainer, regular donor, and a member of SHI’s Board of Directors.
Rhett traces her dedication to SHI’s mission back to her own upbringing. Rhett’s parents fostered a culture of giving in her family. Every Christmas, their gift to her was a donation to a non-profit of her choosing.
Such values were also instilled by her grandmother — a southerner who emphasized being a good house guest in your community and life. Rhett learned early on that you need to bring a good presence, make others glad you were here, and leave the place a little nicer for your visit.
Wherever she finds herself, Rhett is committed to leaving the world a better place than she found it.
“When you reach beyond yourself and help other people, that’s good for the soul.”
From early awareness to two-time board member
In the late 1990s, Rhett first met SHI founder Florence Reed. Over lunch, Flo showed Rhett an album showcasing the work she'd been doing with trees and revitalizing soils for a more sustainable future. Rhett was immediately blown away by Flo's vision and kept in touch with her as the organization grew.
"I love that SHI's focus is always on the programs and continuing that incredible work," she says.
She was honored when she was offered a role on the Board of Directors for the first time in 2002. She was thrilled when she was invited back to the Board for a second time. "Wonderful!" Rhett remembers her excitement to serve again. "I love the energy and learn a ton, too."
In 2006, Rhett visited SHI’s programs in Panama during her first tenure on the board of directors.
As a board member, Rhett has taken numerous trips to Central America, "which I absolutely adored!" she says. "I get so much from those trips; this organization helps communities in ways you wouldn't even imagine."
A creative problem-solver herself, Rhett fondly remembers a trip where she and the team worked with sugar cane farmers and doubled the profits of one grower overnight.
After cutting the sugar cane, the farmer needed to boil it in an enormous pot he rented for half his earnings. And the group realized, "Why isn't this pot cooperative? There's 20 of us on this trip; we can all pitch in 20 bucks right now and buy them a frickin’ pot!" So, the team combined their resources and bought a communal pot. These kinds of efforts are what it's all about for Rhett.
“We’re not giving a handout, but a hand up.”
If giving others a hand up doesn't make you a good house guest in life, it's hard to imagine what does.
