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Meet the Team
Meet the team of individuals who make the Morels & Memories event happen. Without our generous volunteers we wouldn't be able to make this event possible. We're hugely grateful for all of those who’ve supported us along the way.
Courtney
Meet Courtney, she’s our founder and started the event in honor of her mother, Heidi Vanderlinde. Heidi was diagnosed with Younger Onset Alzheimer’s Disease in 2011, at the age of 49. She sadly lost her battle to the disease in August 2019. As a lover of the outdoors, plants, and sunshine, we remember her with the event.
Courtney’s favorite thing about the event is the kindness and generosity involved in creating inspiration and hope for a disease where there has been little hope for a very long time. She’s a mushroom hunter and shared that her favorite thing about mushroom hunting is “it’s like a natural treasure hunt with delicious rewards; it’s also a fun activity we do as a family”. Courtney said she’s looking forward to, “seeing so many old friends that participate in some way with the event, and meeting more people who advocate for a cure for Alzheimer’s” this year!
M.J.
Meet M.J. he’s a part of our facilities crew. His favorite thing about the event is all the people who attend and volunteer. He’s been participating since the very beginning and is Courtney’s husband. He’s a mushroom hunter and his favorite thing about mushroom hunting is the thrill of the hunt. M.J. is looking forward to seeing how the fundraiser grows this year!
Max
Meet Max, his favorite thing about the event is the morel Piñata. He’s been participating since the beginning and he’s Courtney’s son. He’s a mushroom hunter and his favorite thing about mushroom hunting is how fun it is.
Lindsay
Meet Lindsay, she's a board member and part of our silent auction and raffle, and food coordination crew. Her favorite thing about the event is that it inspires hope, following a personal tragedy of losing her mother Heidi.
She's been participating since the very beginning of the event and she’s Courtney’s sister. What motivates her about the Morels & Memories event is that it’s a tribute to her late mother. She feels that the event’s an opportunity to educate and support families currently navigating Alzheimer’s disease. Lindsay’s hope this year is that the event is even larger with record breaking fundraising!
Kari
Meet Kari, she’s a board member and part of our arts, games, and silent auction crew. Her favorite parts of the event are the music, people and food. Kari has been volunteering with us since the very beginning, and knows Courtney as former coworker turned close friend.
Never having mushroom hunted before attending the first event, she wasn't sure what to expect, but was immediately hooked! In fact, she now takes her mom foraging for ramps every Mother's Day. She let us know that her most exciting foraging find so far was a Chicken of the Woods she found while camping a few years ago.
Zach
Meet Zach, he’s one of our creative artists for the event. He has been volunteering with Morels & Memories from its start. A lover of the outdoors, Zach enjoys fishing and mushroom hunting with his wife Kari.
Natasha
Meet Natasha, she is a board member and operates the silent auction and retail area. Her favorite thing about the event is honoring Heidi; meeting the attendees and running the silent auction/retail area. She's been participating for 6 years, and knows Courtney as a childhood friend. What motivates her about the Morels & Memories event is crushing our goals and supporting Courtney. Natasha is looking forward to seeing how many attendees come this year and raising more funds than the prior year!
Matt
Meet Matt, his favorite thing about the event is how it combines his love of nature, science, and giving back to the people that he loves. He’s been participating for 8 years, and knows Courtney as a childhood friend. He's a mushroom hunter and his favorite thing about mushroom hunting is that it gets him into the woods where he feels most at home. Matt shared with us that he’s looking forward to “allowing people to experience my love for nature while helping them to have an unforgettable day” this year!
Jaime
Meet Jaime from Chick of the Woods, she’s a part of our mushroom guiding crew. Her favorite thing about the event is socializing with the crowd and helping teach attendees about mushroom hunting. She’s been participating for 4 years, and knows Courtney through volunteering for the Morels & Memories event. She’s a mushroom hunter and told us her favorite thing about mushroom hunting is, “taking people hunting for their first time and seeing the excitement in their face when they start finding them”.
Jena
Meet Jena, she’s a board member and part of our auction and retail crew. Her favorite thing about the event is the live music and the silent auction. She’s been participating for 5 years, and knows Courtney through a friend of a friend. What motivates her about the Morels & Memories event is that it’s a great cause to be a part of. Jena’s looking forward to delicious food and the silent auction this year!
Sandeep
Meet Sandeep, he’s a part of our auction and retail crew. His favorite thing about the event is helping out with the fundraiser. He's been participating for 4 years, and knows Courtney as a friend. What motivates him about the Morels & Memories event is meeting new people and how many mushrooms the attendees find. Sandeep shared that he’s looking forward to “raising more money this year than last year”.
Noelle & Josh
Meet Noelle, she's a part of our mushroom guiding crew. Her favorite thing about the event is sharing the knowledge of finding the morel. She's been participating since the beginning and knows Courtney as a neighborhood friend. She’s a mushroom hunter and her favorite thing about mushroom hunting is spending time with her family. Noelle’s looking forward to finding more morels this year!
Julie
Meet Julie, she's a part of our mushroom guiding crew. Her favorite thing about the event is hunting for mushrooms. She's been participating for 8 years and knows Courtney through the Morels and Memories event. She's a mushroom hunter and her favorite thing about mushroom hunting is finding tasty mushrooms to eat. Julie said she’s looking forward to seeing how big the event is this year!
Bryan
Meet Bryan, he’s a part of our mushroom guide crew. His favorite thing about the event is seeing faces new and old gather in support of Heidi. In addition he enjoys guiding people to their first mushroom finds. He’s been participating since the beginning and knows Courtney as a friend from school. He’s an avid outdoorsman and mushroom hunter, his favorite thing about mushroom hunting is being outdoors. Bryan has been known to be called the “mushroom magician”. Bryan’s looking forward to helping people find their first finds, friendly faces and spending time at the Vanderlinde farm this year.
Josh
Meet Josh, he's one of our creative artists. His favorite thing about the event is helping create awareness for Alzheimer's through a family friendly activity. He’s been participating for 6 years, and he’s related to Courtney. He’s a mushroom hunter and his favorite thing about mushroom hunting is identifying locations of mushrooms by understanding where species grow, be it Morels, Chanterelles, Dryad saddles, etc and how it's a great activity to do with friends as well as loved ones. Josh is looking forward to trying prepared mushrooms, the hike through the woods, and seeing folks again this year!
Laura
Meet Laura, she’s a part of our volunteer crew. Her favorite thing about the event is music and the people who attend. She’s been participating for 8 years and knows Courtney as a friend. What motivates her about the Morels & Memories event is helping Courtney with anything she may need. Laura’s looking forward to seeing how much the event grows this year!
Olena
Meet Olena Johnson, also known to the foraging community as Olena the Mushroom Lady! She’s a part of our volunteer educator crew. She is an avid forager and flower fanatic who loves to educate on plants, enhancing biodiversity, and teaching environmentally reciprocative practices. Meet Olena and learn about the power of seed balls! Seed balls can be fun to make and throw while simultaneously seeding native plants back into our environment!
Michael
Meet Michael, Courtney's locker buddy (Venske-Vanderlinde), and board member for Morels & Memories. Michael has taken various roles in the fundraiser, from the first years of coordinating the food and supporting the food demonstration, to supporting site preparation. He is a true jack of all trades!
Kate
Meet Kate, a talented artist and journalist, overseeing social media and marketing. As a mushroom fairy artist and nature lover, and sharing the caregiver experience, she was drawn to the event. After attending a few years, decided she wanted to help the cause further.
Annalisa
Annalisa is Courtney's pal overseeing registration
Bryan, Casey, Julie, Patrick, Matt, & Chris
Our team of local guides some that have been helping since the beginning of the event, leading forays in the woods for up to 10 years.
Maria (Four Season Foraging)
Maria wesserle
Tim (MN Forager)
Tim Clemens
Peter (MMS President)
Peter M
Special Thank You's
A big part of our behind the scenes volunteers are our sponsors. A special portion to call them out and give a big “Thank You”.
Special Thank You’s to:
Craig Jongerious-Co owner of Southwest Rental - Through Craig's family's company we can count on our tables and chairs every year
Biffs Inc in Shakopee - Donates portable restrooms
Jazziblu our music team
Troy Vanderlinde
Vanderlinde/Storms Family - Who graciously provide their time and donations