Katie reached out to me on-and-off throughout the years.
We had never met in person, but we got connected through my work. Back in 2018, as a recent graduate, she had a chance to visit some Plant With Purpose communities in the Dominican Republic. The visit made a big impression on her, moving her to more deeply consider what a career in international nonprofit work might look like. She also became friends with my friend Kirstie, who accompanied her on the trip.
In the years that followed, she stayed close to our team. Even though she lived in Ohio, she participated in our Young Advisory Board remotely. When I rebranded and relaunched our monthly giving program, I believe she was the first to sign up.
When we lost Kirstie in an accident, she reached out. A year after the tragedy, she reached out again. She let me know that she thought about Kirstie often. She kept a note from her on her desk. She congratulated me on the birth of my twins and let me know that she was continuing to pursue work very similar to mine. She wanted to be a storyteller in pursuit of sustainability, and was wrapping up a Masters’ program to put her in that direction.
My interactions with Katie were all remote, but her compassion was evident through all that distance. She was thoughtful, curious, and conscientious. Her timely note of sympathies and congratulations was good evidence of that.
I was impressed to see her accomplish exactly what she set out to do. She became an editor at a Food & Environment Network. A communications manager at the Fair World Program. Her work also ended up taking her to Colombia, Haiti, and India.
I was deeply saddened to learn that she had passed away last month due to terminal cancer. The world lost a really bright light, who brought about so much good for other people in her short life.
Thursday of last week started out normal enough, until an email arrived in my inbox with tragic news. Durbel, the beloved Country Director of our program in the Dominican Republic lost his life in an automobile accident.
I spent the rest of my day trying to handle communications around the devastating news, trying to be around my team as much as possible, while still trying to absorb what had even happened.
Durbel was such a presence. Physically large with a gentle demeanor and an uncanny ability to put people at ease.
Losing him didn’t feel real, and in a lot of ways still doesn’t. I had even been weighing the possibility of visiting the Dominican Republic in May, and whether or not that still happens, I’m sad that such a visit wouldn’t include seeing Durbel again. Now that I’ve had years of time with Plant With Purpose, I’ve been able to interact with our international partners a number of times. Whenever we’re together makes for a sweet reunion.
Some of my strongest memories with Durbel take place on this side of the globe, most notably when he came to spend a few months in California in 2017. I was pretty new to my role and Plant With Purpose at the time, and I was surprised and amused to find that one afternoon I was tasked with transporting, supporting, and translating for Durbel as he visited several supporters. He was very good spirited about wherever that took us. At one point, I had to swing by my house to give my dog a quick walk. He was not only unbothered by the interruption; he enjoyed hanging out with Beignet!
Later that month we would be at a team gathering that also included a team member from Haiti. We started playing Codenames, despite the fact that we would have to deploy bits of Spanish, English, French, and Haitian Creole around what is typically a word-based game. It might be my favorite experience with that game. And it led to one of the only pictures I’ve ever seen of Durbel not smiling… the way we were playing took a whole bunch of concentration!
There’s a lot going on right now, and the world has a particularly heavy feel to it lately, even compared to its usual condition. The ideals of justice and making things right feel very, very distant, and devastating tragedies that have no explanation whatsoever only worsen it.
I can’t help but feel robbed of more time we should have gotten with people gone far too soon. To feel like the world was robbed of a few of its brightest lights at a time where that light is sorely needed. As I write this, I think of another friend currently in a critical medical situation.
It’s been a really heavy past few weeks. I know this isn’t the note I usually hit on here, but it’s what’s going on right now.
While going over photos, I happen to come across a few from that Dominican Republic visit in 2018. There are some that include Durbel, Katie, and Kirstie. Joyful images of such endearing people that have a pretty sharp sting right about now.
I’ve been asked a few times over the past month what I like about the work I do. Why I’ve stuck around Plant With Purpose for nearly ten years now.
There are some obvious things, like the way it seems like the best vehicle for my skills and interests to be used to help people. Or that it takes on international development in a way that honors people’s agency. That it has an effective model that doesn’t cut ethical corners.
All that holds true, but my answer is increasingly: the people.
From Katie and Kirstie, to Durbel and countless others, my work has allowed me to get to know some truly incredible human beings. I’ve met some of the coolest people because of what I do, and amidst all the emails and video edits and speaking gigs, I hope I never lose sight of that.