style="font-size:15px;"> But standing out for the wrong reasons—like driving a ramshackle non-descript white van that possessed a worse reputation than hemp ever had—was not doing me any favors. My current ride wasn’t achieving the level of professionalism I had in mind. It was imperative that we stand out for the right reasons. I made known to the co-op’s board that our representatives needed to be properly equipped. Every day I gave a 110 percent effort, yet, I grew frustrated by how restricted my accoutrements left me. I needed the ability to amplify my limited energy. If we expected to win this war of propaganda, then we needed to improve our offensive firepower.
The Turner Foundation funding opportunity was discovered by Victor Mullens. Victor was the Marion County librarian. The library served as the Kentucky Hemp Growers Association Cooperative’s headquarters from 1995 to 1999. At the bequest of Mr. Mullens, the Marion County Public Librarygenerously donated an office space for the co-op to use. Not only did Victor help alleviate our operating costs, he also spearheaded the co-op’s grant writing. The Marion County Public Library was the perfect incubator for our start-up before start-ups were cool.
I first learned about the Turner Foundation after walking into our library office after returning from the state fair. The majority of the KHGACdirectors and founding members were present: Andy Graves, Dave Spalding, and Joe Hickey. They were mulling over an opportunity Victor found on the web recently posted by the Turner Foundation. Mr. Mullens caught me up on the good news. The Turner Foundation was a new and eager organization awarding large grants to ambitious environmental initiatives. The opportunity sounded perfect for the KHGAC.
Fast forward a few years to 1997: the Turner Foundation would make the largest private donation to the United Nations. A one-billion-dollar pledge establishing Ted Turner as the model billionaire-philanthropist inspired others like The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In collaboration with the UN, the Turner Foundation built solar-powered irrigation systems in Zambia, handed out mosquito nets to refugees in Kenya, and taught health care and nutrition to girls in Guatemala.
Yet, before marrying the United Nations, saving the planet’s trees was the foundation’s initial focus. The foundation announced their “Request for Proposals” to save the planet’s trees in the fall of 1996. The RFP called upon organizations—who weren’t afraid of thinking outside the box—to answer the call. The KHGAC knew we could save millions of trees by substituting hemp in one product alone, paper, not to mention cellophane, rayon, and a whole host of cellulose-based products.
We all agreed that what went inside the co-op’s final proposal had to coincide with our current grand idea: “PROJECT 23—the 1996 Kentucky Hemp Education Initiative.” The name PROJECT 23 was invented after the University of Kentucky polled citizens of the bluegrass state on whether they would support some kind of pro-hemp legislation. The results of poll showed that the majority of Kentuckians (77 percent) were in support of some kind of pro-hemp legalization. The crux of PROJECT 23was to convert the remaining 23 percent of non-believers. What the UKY’s poll indicated to us was that there was enough political momentum to steamroll the general assembly into legalizing industrial hemp.
ARTICLE:
The UKY report indicated that, on the basis of answers to questions about industrial hemp within a scientifically conducted and statistically significant survey, almost 77% of Kentuckians favor, to some degree, allowing Kentucky farmers to grow low THC industrial hemp as a cash crop, leaving only 23% of the population in clear opposition. –– Report on the Legalization of Industrial Hemp excerpt
All the preparation we put into PROJECT 23 had conveniently prepared us for the Turner Foundation grant proposal. While brainstorming on how the Turner Foundation funds could deliver the most impact, without reservation, I blurted out, “A nicer van would be nice. A van emblazoned with the text: Kentucky Hemp Museum.” On my cue, everyone peered through the window at my paint-peeled parked van, which did all the convincing for me. No one objected; they understood my Chevy van was never intended to serve as a long-term solution. Moreover, I knew that inscribing the words, “Kentucky Hemp Museum,” onto the van would not only present us better at events, but also enhance our visibility while on the road. The others didn’t bat an eye. Everyone knew, when given the chance, I’d give it my all. My suggestion was all Victor Mullens needed to complete the grant beautifully. Once Joe Hickey mailed the proposal to the foundation, none of us could stop fidgeting. Most of us, including myself, expected a polite let-down: “Sorry, but no thank you.”
Lo and behold, some CNN reporters, curious about our operations, phoned the Marion County Public Library and invited themselves to see the co-op’s headquarters. We joked that they wanted evidence our proposal wasn’t a hoax. We were thrilled to host them, yet fearful they’d get lost trying to find us. To our surprise, two Turner Foundation representatives promptly arrived dressed to impress. I presumed they were scouts on behalf of the foundation’s board. The entire scene was comical: two seasoned media professionals sitting around a cramped library table with a handful of hemp advocates. Everything went smooth. They were genuine about their interest and listened intently to everything we had to say. We must have impressed them because the foundation’s board approved our proposal for all the financial assistance requested. We were ecstatic—especially I, being that I was the designated driver for the newly-minted Kentucky Hemp Library & Museum Van.
Van: $12,000 | Photocopier: $3,000 | TV/VCR: $400 | Computer: $2,000 | Printer: $400 | Demonstration Materials: $5,000 | Staff Salaries: $25,000 | Operating Expenses: $6,000 | Administration: $5,380
Total: $59,180
Grant Proposal submitted to Turner Foundation Inc. December 19, 1994
Once the van was purchased, the first kernel on the pecking order was to completely refurbish the inside and out. The co-op upholstered the interior and seats with hemp fabric. In accordance with my request, the outside of the van boasted green decaled words:
“Kentucky Hemp Museum & Library”
The van was an immediate success. Once motorists glimpsed the van’s blaring insignia, their jaws dropped like magic. I always got a kick when I would see in my rim-view mirror, kids pointing and mouthing, “Lookie there! Is that a marijuana van, Mommy?”
* * *
Before taking my new baby on a joyride, our friends from Canada gave us a ring out of the blue. They invited the co-op members to attend Canada’s first big hemp field day. They planned to harvest the hemp field and have spectators cheer from the sidelines. This was a big deal because the co-op needed evidence that legal hemp fields were growing on North American soil. We hoped this evidence would sway Americans to pass similar hemp legislation like its northern neighbors had. And, for those few Americans in the know, the painful irony was that U.S. consumers were driving the demand for Canadian-grown hemp products.
Joe Stroebel was the intrepid Canadian farmer that had reached out and invited the co-op to attend this inaugural harvest. Mr. Stroebel, till this day, is heralded as one of the forefathers of the Canadian hemp industry. Although, for the majority of his life, Mr. Stroebel was a schoolteacher, he inherently knew outlawing a renewable commodity was bad business. With truth on his side, he successfully championed his pro-hemp, pro-farmer, and pro-trade point of view within Canada’s parliamentary government.
We promised Mr. Stroebel nothing would stop the Kentuckians from missing North America’s first industrial hemp harvest in over seventy-five years. This was a massive media opportunity and we had no intentions of missing it. The first Canadian hemp harvest directly impacted the growth of the hemp industry throughout the rest of the continent. The credit goes to Joe Stroebel for donating several
