Honoring our 2014 Tree Heroes

They don’t wear capes, but you might see these tree heroes wearing muddy boots, hard hats and yes, soccer jerseys.

Yesterday we gathered for our Seventh Annual Leadership Awards Luncheon to honor individuals and organizations that have gone above and beyond in the past year to bring the benefits of trees to our communities. Rigert Shade Trees generously sponsored the event (view a slideshow at the bottom of this page).

With KGW News Anchor Tracy Barry as our emcee, more than 180 people gathered at the Multnomah Athletic Club to honor these recipients of Friends of Trees’ 2014 Community Partner Awards:

East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District

Through its Partners in Community Forestry program, the East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District has helped us plant droves of trees to keep our water clean and soils healthy. We are honored that District has granted Friends of Trees more than $186,000 over the past several years, including helping us get our “Living Highways” program off the ground with a major planting along I-205 in Portland.

You often see the elected directors of the District volunteering at Friends of Trees events, demonstrating their true dedication.

Alice C. Tyler Perpetual Trust:

The Alice C. Tyler Perpetual Trust provides grants that focus on preserving the environment, supporting at-risk children and advancing Waldorf education. Alice—who grew up along the banks of the Willamette River in the teens and twenties and went to Oregon City High School—left a legacy with her husband, Jack, that includes the Tyler Ecology Prize and the Alice C. Tyler Perpetual Trust, which has given more than $160,000 to Friends of Trees over the past eight years.

These investments have propelled Friends of Trees’ work—notably, bringing trees to many eastside Portland neighbors who can’t afford them. The Trust has also been a major supporter of planting trees along highways, including last summer along I-205 in Portland and last month along the Randy Pape Beltline in Eugene, both in partnership with the Oregon Department of Transportation.

“I can’t tell you how excited the Perpetual Trust is to be part of Friends of Trees,” said Anders Brown, a Trustee. “Alice Tyler had enormous faith in our ability to balance growth with environmental preservation. She really had a vision of how to improve the lives of everyone around us.”

Portland Timbers

The Timbers have partnered with Friends of Trees for more than 10 years, beginning with community events at PGE Park and culminating in our “Score a Goal, Plant a Tree” partnership, which has raised more than $56,000. On top of that, the green scarf-clad Timbers Army shows up in full force each season to volunteer planting trees.

“We’re so honored to be part of the Friends of Trees family,” said Mike Golub, the Timbers’ President of Business Operations. “We promise to keep scoring goals and planting trees.”

Thanks to these amazing organizations for recognizing that a tree is kind of a big deal! And thanks to everyone who made this event so special.

View a slideshow of the event below: