Angela: Born deaf into three generations of cannabis farmers, Angela is native to a small town in Southern Oregon, where holistic medicines are an accepted part of their historic culture. A mother of five amazing children and founder of a regenerative farm that caters to the deaf community, gardening is Angela’s greatest joy, connecting with nature and raising her kids to appreciate all forms of life. Her favorite place is in the garden where it is peaceful, where the plants feel her and no barriers exist.
Angela’s journey of learning and healing eventually led her into the world of holistic health. She made the connection between the deaf community and regenerative farming and self sustainability. Access to education and information for the deaf community are limited; and Angela intends to provide more opportunities and education to those who have profound hearing loss. With her knowledge and experience, she saw the need to define nature and sustainability in sign language.
Angela’s deeper calling is to find a way to bridge that informational gap experienced by this underserved community and share the wonders of nature. By spreading awareness and developing sign language, she aims to advocate for equality and empower her deaf community.
Jared: Jared was born in Sacramento, CA and raised in Grants Pass, OR on a small family farm. In 1998, Jared began pursuing his passions in Emergency Services and graduated with a Fire Science and Paramedic Degrees. He studied American Sign Language as his second language and learned ways to apply it in emergency situations. After serving as a Paramedic and Firefighter, Jared combined his joy of nature and fire-fighting by joining the Forest Service, serving on 3 different Interagency Hotshot Crews in Oregon, Utah and California.
Jared retired from the Forest Service in 2015 and moved back to Grants Pass after the birth of his first child. Jared and his wife Angela founded Home Grown ORX, a deaf regenerative farm and are pioneers in the Cannabis community and the Deaf community. They quickly realized the importance of language development; There were no terms for Endocannabinoid System, terpenes, mycelium and many other important terms that should have their own designated sign; which subsequently led to a language development project.
Lindsey Michels was born and raised in Grants Pass, Oregon. Currently living in Portland, Oregon, she has been commuting down to southern Oregon seasonally, to grow with Home Grown ORX since 2013. Through her experiences, she learned how to cultivate and process their harvests to make salves, tincture, and other medicines, as well as learning more about regenerative farming, and its benefits.
Lindsey grew up with Angela Panks and Brandy Easley since they were 5-years-old. They instantly became best friends. Jared came along in 2013, he has become close with them all, and helps with interpreting in instances. She looks forward to seeing how the development of sign language for regenerative farming and cultivation can change the world and to enable more deaf and hard hearing people to learn about the benefits of natural living.
Brandy Easley was born in California and raised in Southern Oregon. Deaf and married with two children, Brandy lives in both the hearing and deaf worlds and has a deep understanding of how to blend both worlds through better communication. Brandy has years of hands-on experience in nature farming as well as involvement in the Deaf community. Going through the journey of transitioning from a pharmaceutical to holistic lifestyle, Brandy is equipped with the puzzle pieces to combine both worlds through sharing experiences.
Harry’s professional experience includes finance, executive leadership, and government relations. Beyond his more than two decades in public accounting, banking, and hospital administration, Harry has demonstrated a passion for community building and advancing local social and health services for the most vulnerable.
