Congrats to “We Are Portland” Award Winners

Last week Friends of Trees Neighborhood Trees Specialist Andrew Land was honored with a “We Are Portland” award from Portland’s Office of Equity and Human Rights. The awards were presented at a ceremony at Immigrant & Refugee Community Organization’s gymnasium to civic activists and city employees who have helped further the city’s immigrant integration initiatives.

Andrew received his award in the “Neighboring Engagement – A Bigger Us” category along with David Douglas High School teachers Anne Downing, Lindsay Hook, and Jan Wolford, as well as Portland BES Grey to Green Canopy Outreach Coordinator Matt Krueger and Grey to Green Canvasser and former DDHS student Marius Ibuye. The awards recognized their work in helping DDHS ESL students volunteer at multiple Friends of Trees plantings a year for three years now. BES AmeriCorps volunteer and DDHS graduate Lea Wilson also received an award for helping the teachers, students, BES, Verde and Friends of Trees plant an international grove of 51 trees on the high school’s campus earlier this year.

In April Portland’s Urban Forestry Commission awarded the David Douglas High School ESL Students and Anne Downing the 2013 Bill Naito Community Trees Award for their contributions to Portland’s urban forest.

Special recognition at last week’s ceremony was given to Portland City Commissioner Amanda Fritz for championing the concerns of Portland’s immigrant and refugee communities, and to East Police Precinct Commander Michael Lee for facilitating community policing sessions for families new to the city and building working relationships with ethnic minority elders and activists. You can see more photos from the ceremony here.

Commissioner Fritz has planted with Friends of Trees and DDHS ESL students for three years now. Prior to that, she planted at other Friends of Trees East Portland events. She oversees Portland Parks & Recreation and Portland’s Bureau of Development Services.

–TR