Green Space Hero - Jeri Finke
Green Space Heroes, By Rich Boss
Seabrook Island is a community that thrives because of our sense of volunteerism across many organizations. The Seabrook Island Green Space Conservancy (“Green Space”) has been fortunate to have many visionary, hardworking, and generous volunteer leaders over our 20+ year history. One such “Green Space Hero” is Jeri Finke. When she and her husband Fred moved to Seabrook in 2010 after she retired from her legislative career on Capitol Hill, she got a question many of us get: “Don’t you miss the hustle and bustle of the city?” Jeri says she missed it for about 2 weeks, then she settled right in at Seabrook and all its natural beauty. She also ignored the common wisdom about taking a long break after retirement before became involved and she joined the Green Space board in 2011 at the invitation of friend Pat Greubel. Jeri viewed serving on the Green Space board as an opportunity to leverage her past educational background in life sciences (and as a teacher of the subject) and her personal interest in the environment. Early in her board tenure, she was asked to co-chair the Gala, the organization’s primary fundraising event. Under her leadership and the work of many others, the Gala expanded greatly in its organizational efficiency and fundraising results. Sponsorship broadened, and each year new ideas brought a sense of fun and awareness of Green Space’s mission. Seeking to make the best use of donated funds, greater focus and effort was placed on criteria for evaluating how potential lots fit into Green Space’s priorities. Jeri would go on to serve 7 years on the board, serving as Gala chair throughout and for 4 years as president.
Asked which of Green Space’s properties have the most personal impact on her, Jeri points to the horse pasture with our grazing and galloping equine friends – 6 acres of which was acquired and conserved by Green Space in 2007 for use as a pasture, and she highlights the canopy – a collection of 6 adjacent lots just past the Lake House that were acquired over time and provide a welcoming invitation to the natural beauty of Seabrook Island.
Looking forward, Jeri sees how quickly the remaining lots are being developed and knows that opportunities to acquire lots will soon become more difficult. Also, she appreciates the current board’s expectation that Green Space’s mission will eventually shift to more focus on education and remediation to improve the health of our natural vegetated areas throughout the island.
We are grateful to our donors, volunteers, and community partners – many Green Space Heroes have contributed to our successful conservation of 30 acres of our natural environment. To donate to Green Space, please visit our website at www.sigsc.net.
