Meet Katie Dennis, our Salem all-star
Look up “tree people” in the dictionary and you might just see Katie Dennis’ face.
For her outstanding contributions this past planting season, Katie was recognized in April an honorable mention for Friends of Trees’ 2014 Garry Oak Award, because she embodies the spirit of community, volunteerism, good work and fun that Friends of Trees—and our mascot Garry Oak—strive to achieve every day.
(Read about all of the 2014 volunteer award winners here)
Katie started volunteering with Friends of Trees this past fall and quickly became a Crew Leader for both the Neighborhood Trees Program and the Green Space Initiative. To top it off, she’s training as a Summer Tree Inspector for the coming months.
“I’ve been a tree geek for a long time, a gardener for my whole life, so this was just a perfect fit,” she says.
Having lived in Salem for more than 40 years, Katie has become a Friends of Trees ambassador in Oregon’s capitol, where we just completed our first full planting season.
When we needed a staging site to gather before a planting, Katie came through. When we needed to connect with Salem neighbors, Katie attended neighborhood meetings and got events on the radio and in the newspaper. When we needed photos, she took them.
But her favorite thing is leading planting crews.
“Being out in the field is what I love the most,” she says. “I’ve found the natural world is the best way to connect with people, especially children.”
Katie comes from a teaching background, having worked as an interpreter at a school for the deaf for 15 years. After that she worked at the Oregon Garden helping with outdoor education programs and leading crews to beautify the grounds. Now semi-retired, she runs her own company helping people care for their trees and gardens.
She firmly believes that trees are the way to reach people and help them connect with the natural world.
“It’s took me a while to find my niche, but I’ve found it with Friends of Trees,” she says. “I’m like a grandmother to everyone,” she says. “It’s given me a wonderful new lease on life.”