TORIA TURNER
She/Her
Volunteer and Community Engagement Coordinator
You will find Toria creating meaningful experiences for volunteers, Garden Resource Program members and community members. She coordinates volunteer opportunities and stands by leading and welcoming you with warmth and kindness first.
Toria is a native Detroiter and very proud of her multi-layered heritage. She draws deeply from her Creole and Yucatec Maya roots. This unique blend of culture shapes her perspective and fuels her passion for community gardening and Aj Kanan Lu'um -protector of the land. Rooted in a vibrant cultural lineage. Her deep connection to the earth comes from her family—inspired by her mother, who always nurtured a small garden and gave what she grew to neighbors and family members. Her Grandfather, who was a farmer in New Orleans and Southwest Detroit. Their legacy of cultivation shapes her perspective and informs everything she does.
In her spare time Toria is a voice-over and theatre actress, sound healer, using various instruments including her voice. She loves learning, researching and spending intentional quality time with her husband, children and sister.
In the prime of her life she uses her background as a full spectrum doula to connect to people from all walks of life. This all gives her a beautiful and wide view in how she views the world and connects deeply with living beings and the land. She says “Iy all starts in the womb so growing older does not call me to pause and stop living, but instead I am now called to teach others, I am called to keep learning, keep loving, and leave a beautiful legacy for others to someday remember.”