To our incredible network of students, teachers, followers, fans, loved ones:
Fireweed is a wildflower that can grow quickly in areas burned by wildfire. In this way it is adaptable to change and supports renewal. Fireweed Community Woodshop aims to be a space that can equally thrive in times of change. The world is ever changing, and organizations that can change with it can help build alternate futures together.
We are writing to inform you that Jess Hirsch, our founder and Pollinator (executive director), has stepped down from her role at Fireweed Community Woodshop. As a board, we’ve had time to prepare for this transition and we thank Jess for her stewardship of Fireweed and for giving us this opportunity to reimagine our future.
It is with great enthusiasm and gratitude, that we announce that Board Member Leah Van Tassel has taken on the role of Interim Pollinator. She will run the organization while the board takes on a leadership search. Leah has volunteered, provided admin and financial support, and taught classes at Fireweed Community Woodshop since 2018. She has deep knowledge of the organization and has worked closely with Jess over the past few years to support the organization. We are confident that Leah will successfully lead the organization through this time of transition.
Fireweed would not exist without Jess’s incredible vision and tireless work. Under Jess’s leadership, Fireweed Community Woodshop has changed its name to better reflect its inclusive values, became an official 501c3 nonprofit, occupied two different physical spaces, shifted multiple times with COVID-19, and developed a vast and caring community of instructors, students, and supporters. Anyone who has taken a class from or talked about Fireweed with Jess knows the care they have built into everything that is core to the organization.
Fireweed Community Woodshop is still a relatively new nonprofit and over the past year, the board has developed values that drive decision making, solidified policies and procedures, and refined its vision for how best to empower marginalized genders through the art of woodcraft. It is with that strong base that we can cultivate the sprouts of the future of Fireweed Community Woodshop.
We thank you all for believing in and supporting Fireweed Community Woodshop. As more seeds are planted in the coming months we will share those with you and hope that you stay with us as we water them and watch them grow.
Sincerely,
Fireweed Board