This season at Friends of Trees, we will plant our millionth tree. Our millionth tree, like all of the trees and native shrubs we’ve planted, will be planted with the power of community volunteers. We’re telling their stories! Read more here.

Volunteer crew leader Shay Snyder knows that climate action should be fun and inclusive.

When Shay’s crew finishes planting a tree, they encourage the whole crew to do a tree dance in celebration.

“The tree dance? I’m obsessed with it,” they say. “One thing I’ve learned from teaching adults is that they don’t have many chances to feel like a kid. And we’re playing in the dirt, we can feel like a kid.”

Shay teaches college success at Portland State University and believes their classroom management skills help them be a confident and engaging crew leader at Friends of Trees neighborhood tree plantings. They strive to achieve the balance of creating a fun atmosphere and accomplishing something meaningful.

“If you’re going to get up early on a Saturday morning to volunteer, it should be fun,” Shay says. “I like when people find ways to have fun doing things that aren’t necessarily supposed to be fun.”

Since Shay started leading crews in 2021, very few people have been resistant to do the tree dance. And in fact, the people who are reluctant in the beginning usually dance with the most enthusiasm by the end of the planting.

For the accomplishment side of the equation, Shay has another tradition. After the first tree gets planted, they tell their crew: there wasn’t a tree here and now there’s a tree here.

Doing something tangible was what drew Shay to Friends of Trees in 2021. That, and the fact that their middle name is Aspen, something they always bring up to crews when discussing favorite trees.

“I was feeling really stressed about climate change…Why did I say that in the past tense? I am really stressed about climate change. But it feels better to do something about it. It’s doing the thing and feeling like I’ve done the thing, and it’s finding the people who care enough to do something hard on a Saturday morning.”

Shay doesn’t think they ever planted a tree before volunteering with Friends of Trees, but didn’t let that hold them back.

“I’m definitely not a tree expert. But just because I’m not a botanist or a biologist doesn’t mean I can’t contribute. I just learned how to plant a tree. Almost anyone can dig in the dirt.”

Friends of Trees strives to create inclusive planting events. Anyone can come, regardless of their background or experience. Shay loves that planting events bring together lots of people who care about trees.

“You get to meet people you’re unlikely to meet otherwise,” they say. “There’s something so special about a group of people spending four hours together and accomplishing something. And maybe you never see them again, and that’s okay.”

For Shay, those connections are powerful, and a model for climate action that also bridges divides between people.

There are some folks that Shay does get to see again: The Friends of Trees staff.

“If you volunteer more than once, they really get to know you,” they say. “Right before the last event I attended, my old dog passed away. And the staff was so kind and caring. They are all folks who care and you can feel that.”

So much brings Shay back over and over again, including a true volunteer spirit—”It’s civic engagement that’s fun!”—that they love to see in others.

“At my first ever planting we got soaked to the bone,” they say. “And people stayed. I love that.”

Oh yeah, you want to know how to do a Tree Dance? Just plant a tree. And dance. Together.

A Million Trees, A Million Stories is brought to you by our Presenting Partner, Portland General Electric.