Our community organization is led by a dedicated group of volunteers that believe in the heart of our mission: Richard Quiroga, Elisa Quiroga, Stephanie Rios, Heath Braddock and Kathleen Avalon. Our families & youth participants are ever-grateful for the time, resources, and guidance that make GTL a continued success.
Click here to meet our Director ↓
About Growing True Leaves & The Governing Board
Ocean Connection is an annual gathering born from the generous spirit of the Moss Landing community where a dedicated group of local surfers joins in collaboration with R.O. Indigenous Embrace to host children and their families for a day centered on connection — with the ocean, with each other, and with the land.
Community
Events
With 25 years of working in different plant and animal systems, as well as 10 years of gardening with children - we pride ourselves in being able to walk into a garden system and lend a helping hand.
Food Sovereignty will only be attained when our children are equipped to grow their own food organically.
Garden
Classes
Nature Journaling is a class series offering an opportunity for children and families to spend time outside in open space in the northern central coast of California. We split the classes according to their natural ecosystems: the first class starts on the beach, the second class visits the wetlands and the third class is placed in the redwoods.
Nature
Journaling
Celine Cohen
While Growing True Leaves has evolved into a holistic, multi-layered organization, its earliest seeds were planted in the garden. The garden program is where the vision first came to life, and Celine’s connection to land and food systems shaped its foundation.
After seven years in agriculture, Celine followed a calling into early childhood education. She took courses in ECE at Cabrillo College while working as a garden teacher, building school gardens and toddler programs for local preschools. She was mentored at the Santa Cruz Toddler Center and later hired as the lead toddler teacher at Tara Redwood Preschool. During this chapter, she deepened her understanding of herbalism, child development, and the importance of health in the earliest years of life.
Becoming a mother at 30—right in the midst of a global pandemic—brought the mission of Growing True Leaves into sharp focus. Navigating modern obstacles as a new parent, while witnessing the challenges facing children and families today, turned this work into something even more personal. For Celine, GTL is a life vest of hope: a project that has brought joy, connection, and possibility to countless children, families, and students since 2016.
While Growing True Leaves has evolved into a holistic, multi-layered organization, its earliest seeds were planted in the garden. The garden program is where the vision first came to life, and Celine’s connection to land and food systems shaped its foundation.
After seven years in agriculture, Celine followed a calling into early childhood education. She took courses in ECE at Cabrillo College while working as a garden teacher, building school gardens and toddler programs for local preschools. She was mentored at the Santa Cruz Toddler Center and later hired as the lead toddler teacher at Tara Redwood Preschool. During this chapter, she deepened her understanding of herbalism, child development, and the importance of health in the earliest years of life.
Becoming a mother at 30—right in the midst of a global pandemic—brought the mission of Growing True Leaves into sharp focus. Navigating modern obstacles as a new parent, while witnessing the challenges facing children and families today, turned this work into something even more personal. For Celine, GTL is a life vest of hope: a project that has brought joy, connection, and possibility to countless children, families, and students since 2016.