Takunia “T.C.” Collins is a farmer, lifelong Willow Run resident, community leader, and the Founder and Executive Director of Willow Run Acres, an Ypsilanti-based nonprofit that transforms vacant lots into gardens and hosts gardening classes for all ages. Willow Run Acres currently operates out of both a community garden in Apple Ridge Park of Ypsilanti Township, and Clay Hill Community Farm and Garden in Superior Township. T.C. was born and raised in the Clay Hill (Willow Run) community. In 2021, he created an Underground Railroad garden that includes plant varieties that freedom-seekers of the Underground Railroad brought with them during their voyage from the South to the North. He cares deeply about educating younger generations how to garden and provide for themselves, believing that it is becoming a lost skill.
