Staff Spotlight on Colin Kazunas: Leading with Heart at Prospect Meadow Farm
Colin Kazunas, a program manager at Prospect Meadow Farm East, has been with ServiceNet since 2019. He oversees four programs at the farm: Community-Based Day Support (CBDS), Prospect Meadow Farm Employment, Culinary Vocational, and Carpentry Vocational programs.
Initially, Colin joined as a job coach, drawn by his interest in the farm’s shiitake mushroom production. Since then, he has stepped into leadership roles, trying his best to make program participants feel fulfilled at the farm. His passion for foraging and the outdoors remains, and when he has the time, he’ll take groups out on hiking trips to look at the mushrooms he’s found on local trails.
Colin does his best to ensure smooth operations for all the programs on the farm. On a typical day, you can find him helping wherever he’s most needed. Some days he helps out as a job coach, and other days he is in the kitchen or managing the farm’s fleet of transport vehicles. Based on the most significant need, his day-to-day varies greatly. But whatever the task, the goal is to help people feel fulfilled and involved.
“Something I realized after a year or two in this job,” he shared, “was that what I’d been trying to do in my personal life all along was to help people.”
That realization continues to guide him. Colin says some of his favorite moments are seeing participants who are genuinely excited to learn, work hard, and take pride in being part of a team.
“You get the folks here that are just like, really loving it,” he said. “It’s made a really big impact on their life, and even if they don’t say it, you can see the growth.”
Over the years, he’s watched many individuals progress through the farm’s programs and move on to employment in the community. It’s those moments of success that reinforce why he loves what he does.
Colin is always thinking of new ways to adapt activities and make sure every participant feels included. During the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the farm’s renovations in 2023, he recognized that not everyone would be comfortable in a large crowd. To give everyone a meaningful way to celebrate, he organized a parallel event at Look Park, complete with games, food, and plenty of space to relax.
It was a busy day—Colin spent much of the morning driving between the two locations, so participants could choose to attend the ceremony, the park gathering, or a little of both. In the end, everyone had a chance to celebrate in the way that suited them best.
Not every day at the farm is easy, but what gives Colin the most satisfaction is watching individuals meet their goals, gain independence, and continue to grow.
“Whether it’s larger or smaller goals, or just seeing the life progress made,” said Kazunas, “I enjoy seeing the real impact we have on people here.”
