We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Amy Waldo a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Amy , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
So much of what I do in my personal blogging and as a social media manager reflects on my classroom practice as an educator. My classroom feels like a sacred space because I am able to encourage my students to see the power of their writing and their stories. I try to help my students make connections to their own lives and help them to develop their own voice. It’s exciting to watch my students foster a love for words and use their writing as a way to record the world and their place in it.
I think that storytelling is becoming a lost art because so many people have diminished attention spans. I think that it is important that we listen as much as we talk and understand where each other are coming from. I see so many people shutting each other down on on-line spaces because they do not agree with the other’s opinion. Social media can be a very passive-aggressive outlet.
As a blogger I try to take my time in creating content. For me writing and photography are extremely therapeutic. I love to use my blog in my classroom to show my students that I write too. As an encourager of stories, I should model myself as a writer and put myself “out there” as well. I think it helps establishes trust and allows them to see my thoughts and words made tangible as well. I am not asking them to do something that I will not, or do not do, myself.
Amy , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I have been teaching high school English in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for 22 years. I have always been passionate about writing, photography, gardening, nature, and cooking, and in 2013 I started a blog called “Produce with Amy” to share my recipes and every day stories with others.
I often use my blog in my classroom to model to my students that social media can be a platform used for positive connections and outreach – especially when you are located in a rural area like the UP.
In 2015 I met my husband, John. We fell in love, got married, and I became a stepmom to two beautiful children Avalon (17) and Lukas (14). I moved to John’s 28-acre farm, where we acquired a hoop house and try to raise as much of our own food as possible. We raise pigs and chickens (for meat and eggs). Along with our chickens we have two spoiled ducks and four dogs. Every year we try to add improvements to our homestead with sweat equity. We love to travel and a couple of years ago we purchased land in Alaska where we plan to retire. This summer we are hauling our 5th wheel to our property in Alaska so we will now have a “home base” for our Alaskan adventures. Though, we also love to travel to tropical destinations to get away from the snow.
Last summer, I became a vendor at the Skandia Farmers Market and sell surplus produce that I grow, maple syrup, free-range eggs, and flower bouquets. As a teacher this gives me a creative outlet in the summer and the opportunity to connect with my community.
In 2022 my husband and I also launched a non-profit, Upper Peninsula Training Group (UPK9), in which I am the social media manager. My husband is K9 Officer for the City of Marquette. He handles two K9s – K9 Zepp a German Shepherd trained in tracking, handler protection, and tracking. K9 Odin is a yellow lab trained in Explosives Detection (Bomb Dog). In 2020, John lost his Explosives Detection Dog, K9 Nitro. There was an outpouring of the support for the loss of Nitro and many people who wanted to donate money to replace Nitro. John saw a local need where organizations, businesses, and individuals could donate money and resources and also he saw the need for more K9 Teams in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. K9 Nitro was the only Bomb Dog in the UP and his loss created a large vacuum. So he started UPK9 in K9 Nitro’s memory.
We have had a lot of success with UPK9 and last summer raised enough money to purchase a new bomb dog for the Marquette Police Department (K9 Odin). We have also been able to help other K9 Teams from various departments purchase gear and essential equipment.
Two of our biggest sponsors so far have been Mark Curran. Mark’s business, The Rippling River Resort in Marquette, hosted a “Yappy Hour” in honor of K9 Nitro. In addition to a couple of thousand of dollars raised from prize baskets, merchandise, and silent auction items, Mark wrote UPK9 a check for $5,000. In addition, Honor Credit Union joined us a long term sponsor. They also donated $5,000 and sponsored us at Bike Night/Party on the Patio – a weekly fundraiser at the Up North Lodge in Gwinn, Michigan. We will be holding both “K9 Nitro’s 2nd Annual Yappy Hour” and “Bike Night/Party on the Patio” again this summer.
How did you build your audience on social media?
I think that patience is key. Social media runs on many algorithms and it can feel very slow going at times. I think it is important to align yourself with others doing the same thing that you are doing and share and celebrate in each other’s work. Do not let yourself be arrogant and think you can do everything by yourself.
Even though I have been a blogger since 2013, we had to turn to and hire a friend to help us with our webpage for UPK9. Jon Kopacz is a digital genius and owns a company called “Lifework Productions”. He designed our webpage and helped us brand UPK9 with our logos. He designs Hero Cards for K9 Teams all across the country and he has a passion for working dogs and helping educate the pubic about their importance. We could not accomplish what we do without Jon. He is a vital resource to help us get the word out about our non=profit, to bounce ideas off, and we try to promote his talents as much as possible.
I also think it is important to understand that managing social media platforms takes a lot of time. No matter how busy you are, try to post as much content as possible. If you do not have time to create content, there share other’s content. Keep your audience engaged.
As far as a non-profit, while social media and email is a great way to reach people, nothing can take the place of face-to-face communication. When asking for donations we try to contact a business in person first. Also, I think that hosting events are crucial. In our case, more than anything, people love to meet the K9s. So make sure we have K9 meet-and-greets at our events.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
While my husband is the President of UPK9, he always gives credit to me for the online presence. I love when we go out into public and people comment on our posts, videos, and stories we share. Not to mention that we are providing an avenue to help keep our UP communities safe.
Our family always has a good chuckle too when someone goes out of their way to say hello and asks, “Hey, aren’t you Produce with Amy”. It fills me with joy when they say they enjoy my recipes and reading my blog posts. It helps me feel like I am making a difference in people’s lives by sharing my appreciation of nature, love of animals, and tips for living a healthy lifestyle.
I think being a writer is extremely rewarding. I love being able to encourage my students to write and I like to practice what I preach. I also tell my students that “our writing is a time capsule”. I love being able to record my perspective of the world and to have a digital sphere to publish it in. 
Contact Info:
- Website: www.producewithamy.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/producewithamy/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/producewithamy
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/amy-armstrong-waldo-253a5999
- Twitter: @producewithamy
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDWSCg_JcWpV5CUS-ix2GoA
- Other: www.upk9traininggroup.com https://www.facebook.com/upk9group/
Image Credits
Family Photo: Taylor Ragusett Photography UPK9 Logo: Jon Kopacz – Lifework Productions Produce with Amy Banner: Kim Soyring – Modelmark Printing Gwinn High School