Centennial Stories: A (Volunteer) Jack of All Trades

Diane Ciesinski has held many roles at Hidden Villa since she first started volunteering in the 90s. She’s helped with event publicity, served as an unofficial historian, spent seven years as a board member with two as chair. But her favorite role to date just may be farm tour leader for kindergarten and first grade students.

“Being a farm tour guide is really special,” Ciesinski said. “When the kids learn where their food comes from and pet the animals, you get to see the wonder in their eyes. I love seeing the magic in action.”

Ciesinski discovered the magic of Hidden Villa by accident, while searching the Yellow Pages for the phone number of a business that began with the letter “H.” She found what she was looking for and then noticed a listing for Hidden Villa.

Ciesinski called Hidden Villa out of a sense of curiosity and arranged to visit. “I took a tour,” she said, “and fell in love.”

She is one of thousands of volunteers who have helped out at Hidden Villa over the past 100 years in a variety of roles that range from administrative tasks to working on the farm to leading tours.

In addition to serving as a board member and marketing assistant, Ciesinski wrote recipes for a newsletter for members of the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. She became a CSA member herself, and is today the longest continuously registered member.

When Hidden Villa summer camp turned 50, she did a research project to learn more about the history of camp, and even created photo albums of campers through the decades.

And she has shared her love for Hidden Villa with others. When Ciesinski’s dad, Bob Niederer, retired, he became a volunteer with Hidden Villa, where he led farm and wilderness tours for 20 years. He remarried there in 2002, and in 2021, Niederer’s memorial service was held at Hidden Villa.

In 2013, Ciesinski delivered a talk about sustainable agriculture to students at the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology in Sendai, Japan, where they had endured a devastating tsunami and were beginning to start new farms. Hidden Villa staff helped Ciesinski prepare her talk.

“One of the many great things about Hidden Villa is the incredible community of people that come together day in and day out to make what we do possible,” said Elliott Wright, executive director. “Diane has put her heart and soul into this organization for over three decades, and it is because of her and people like her that we are even here today to celebrate our centennial anniversary.”

As to what her next volunteer endeavor may be, Ciesinski isn’t sure. All she is sure of is that she will be a part of Hidden Villa for as long as she is able.

“I get energized there,” she said. “I can see the teaching of the next generation and it gives me hope that kids want to learn about farming, sustainability, and social justice.”