Garry Spreads the Seeds of Service for MLK Day

Dear Diary,

Volunteers are sort of like wildflowers. Each one is lovely and unique, but when you see a whole field of them, it’s totally, mind-blowingly beautiful. Seeing a huge group of volunteers together warms my heart on even the chilliest morning. And when they’re planting wildflowers? It can’t get any better than that.

Last weekend, I felt inspired to do something kinda wild myself. I went to three Friends of Trees planting events all in the same morning. This was an especially special morning, the weekend right before Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The spirit of service really fills my canopy around MLK Day. Of course I love seeing volunteers almost every week at Friends of Trees planting events, but I really love that so many people are eager to make a difference in honor of Dr. King.

I started my morning in Forest Grove (what a great name for a town, right?) Volunteers gathered at Stites Nature Park to plant, you guessed it, wildflowers! I am a friend of native plants as much as I am a friend of trees, and our Green Space program gives me the perfect chance to hang out with some of my native plant buddies. We were planting red columbine, showy milkweed, Oregon iris, tiger lily, and more! The morning started off frosty, but the sun was out, shining on the volunteers and wildflowers that will bloom come spring. I literally cannot wait.

From there I went back home, to the Friends of Trees office, because we were staging an event there! Volunteers were planting in neighborhoods along the MLK corridor, perfect for this weekend of service. Our new partnership with the City of Portland is focused on planting trees to grow canopy where it’s needed most, in the most heat-vulnerable neighborhoods. So even though it’s winter now, we’re always thinking about those hot summer days and the shade trees can provide to the community. Volunteers can see their impact right away when they look at a tree they just planted, but that impact continues to grow and grow as the tree does.

It just feels so good to plant trees in my own neighborhood. Highly recommend if you get the chance. And City Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney agrees! We were stoked to have her at the event talking to our volunteers about why their work is so important.

“Look at the beautiful trees loaded up in these trucks,” Councilor Pirtle-Guiney said to the volunteers before they headed out to plant. “You’re going to some neighborhoods right near where I live, and there are blocks there that absolutely need these beautiful trees.”

We had some of our incredible community partners there too. The Blueprint Foundation and Wisdom of the Elders both brought crews. We also had a table set up for voter registration! One of the things I love about volunteers is that they are some of the most active citizens! Talk about wildflowers spreading seeds, am I right?

My last stop: more wildflowers. I popped over to the Columbia Slough Natural Area for the other Green Space event of the morning. I really love this place because it is a much needed slice of nature in the middle of an industrial area, right along the Columbia Slough, which is such an important waterway for my wildlife friends. Our friends from POIC were there leading crews, showing us what the next generation of environmental stewards is capable of.

I couldn’t help but bask in the good vibes of this place and the spirit of the people so committed to volunteering their time and energy to make our world a little bit better, one wildflower at a time.

Tree-mendously yours,

Garry

P.S. Read my whole diary here!

P.P.S. You can support these good vibes and good trees by donating!