September, 2025 News

This is my first Newsletter ever, because I believe now, more than ever, is a critical time for communication and help.

10 Years

This month is our 10-year anniversary of transforming an abandoned lot in downtown Columbus, OH, into a sustainable 21st-century Urban Farm and STEAM Learning Lab. I want to thank all of you for being part of this journey with us. This summer, we really embraced the #MenTern model of teaching, learning, and mentoring the leaders we need in our uncertain future.

See a 10-Year Gallery of Our Evolution Here

The year-after-year evolution of Mezzacello has been a real labor of love. Every innovation and modification has been a direct response to both failure and success. That is why I love education and STEAM. It teaches all of us and improves the lives of our children.

Mezzacello is a love letter to our kids, giving them a world they can live in sustainably and confidently.

I feel confident that we can agree on this and that we need programs like this to empower our kids and the next generation of leaders and change-makers.

STEM Farming Camps Recap and the Kids

Read The 2025 Summer Camp Recap

I wrote a recap of the STEM Farming Summer Camps, including some snapshots of the fun and innovation we experienced. I didn't get the chance to make videos (we shot them), but I had a rough summer as I am also working two other jobs to make ends meet. If you'd like a video, I'd be happy to create one for you.

There were 15 Amazing solutions that the teams of kids in the camps came up with for helping Mezzacello Urban Farm stay sustainable and innovative. From energy production systems to keep animals safe and mobile, to new fertilizers and application tools, to a water purifier that turns FILTHY duck water waste into fresh, clean water using 14th-century techniques with 21st-century technology. And they all created blog posts on their solutions. You can read some of those here.

Google Reviews

Here at Mezzacello Urban Farm, we value documentation and proof or evidence of learning, as well as personal growth and applied STEAM experiences. To that end, we have been amassing Google Reviews. This is important because of the last bit in this newsletter.

We encourage you to explore our reviews!

The more Google reviews or views we accumulate, the more funding and advertising we receive from Google, which can really help us grow.

Huge DOGE Funding Cuts

Yes, you read that right. The black outlined arrows are the part of our planned $100K operating budget that we lost om March when three of our grants were cut. I'll be frank -- My executive board at Mezzacello told me we were cooked. I planned on canceling all programs.

But the nightmares I had. The MENTERNS I had been training, the vision for what we could do by innovating leadership, applied STEAM programming, and near-peer and peer-to-peer mentorship was too important. So I took on the debt to run programs anyway. They were very poorly attended and I lost my shorts. But there WAS magic that happened here. I will never regret running programs this summer, even if it bankrupts me. It makes me a terrible businessman, but those kids deserved the opportunity to shine, and I think the world has chosen safety and convenience over developing human skills and fostering innovation enough.

In the end, if I go out of business that will be that. But I will not regret it. This is a love letter not just a balance sheet.

What's Next?

Several of the MenTern Parents and I are working together to plan a $100K GoFundMe or Zeffy Campaign. If you could watch for that, or share it with your network, that would be huge—even $10 helps. However, we know that kids and families love and need this. However, to do that, I need to overcome these grant shortfalls and stabilize the sustainability lab. The sustainability lab will enable Mezzacello to expand programming, partnerships, and innovation, allowing us to continue growing and providing access for everyone. I will need help from everyone to do that.

Rick and I are of like mind on this one. I have died already. STEAM tech and medicine brought me back to life. This link is background. The MISSION here is about empowering and improving kids, families, and communities. I BELIEVE in this mission. It will be my life's work. If you can believe in that, then we CAN change the world together.

The loss of Mezzacello will be sad. But I have endured the loss of life and having to retool every part of my life in a Frankenstein body and YET I endure -- I can tolerate this as well. But can our kids? Can you? Keep an eye out for that GoFundMe or Zeffy campaign.

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Mezzacello September 2025 Newsletter