I love volunteering with Tree Trust! They facilitate the tree plantings in the community they serve making cities more beautiful but also the whole planet a better place. The activities are fun and family friendly. It not unusual to see little kids carrying small buckets of water to water the tree they just helped planting. The staff is excited and passionate about planting. It's a win-win. They trees that they plant will be there for generations to enjoy
I have volunteered at many tree planting projects over the years with Tree Trust, but I believe the plantings where you work with school children may be my favorites. Every year Tree Trust works with selected schools to plant trees on school grounds. But the greatest thing is that the kids at the schools get to do the planting, with a little help from teachers, parents and other adult volunteers like myself. On planting day, kids at the schools are bursting with energy. Each classroom is assigned a tree or two to plant. You can just feel the enthusiasm as kids dig, water and mulch their tree. They take great pride and ownership of their tree, and younger kids often give their tree a name. I like to tell the kids to always remember their tree, and to come back and visit as they reach future milestones in their lives, such as high school graduation. Tree Trust makes it a great day with excellent planning, organization and cheerfulness on planting day.
I recently left a successful career at a Fortune 300 company to assume the role of CEO of Tree Trust. I made the decision because I wanted to make a more direct contribution to my community. What I have found, however, is that I am receiving much more in return. The people and programs of Tree Trust - and our impact in the greater Twin Cities area - are amazing. Whether it's summer youth conservation programs, young adult year-round programs or community tree plantings, all make a positive difference to many lives here in Minnesota!
My daughter and I recently were volunteers at a recent tree planting in the metro area. The staff at Tree Trust are curteous, professional and above all knowledgeable. We had a great time despite the weather and look forward to participating again in the future. It was extremely important that my daughter learned from professionals and understood why/how trees are such a vital piece of the ecological puzzle. I highly recommend this non-profit to anyone interested in participating in a tree planting and other volunteer work.
I recently made a donation to Tree Trust to plant a tree in honor of the birth of my niece. I participated in the planting of this tree and 164 others that were planted that day with the help of volunteers. It was great to see my donation in action and to know that I was making a difference in my own community!