What you can do for the Twin Cities

In the Twin Cities, thousands of trees are lost each year to storms, pests, and disease. Thousands of young people face barriers to success in work and in life. And thousands of youth grow up without ever experiencing a connection with the natural world.

Luckily for the Twin Cities, people like you take action and work with Tree Trust to solve these problems. In the process, we enrich our own lives.

In the October issue of Community Ties, we asked you to tell us how getting involved with Tree Trust has impacted your life. Here are just a few of the great responses we received:

My child was happily busy at the summer training program [Youth Conservation Corps]. The good attitude was passed on to the rest of our family instead of that child endlessly challenging every one. Thanks!

I look at trees differently now. I have a life-long interest and connection to trees as a result of my Tree Trust experience. I admire their shapes and unique differences. My knowledge of MN trees makes me feel much more connected to our beautiful state, and I'm able to help others when they have questions about our native trees. When seedlings sprout up in our yard, my husband and I offer these young trees to others to plant in their yards. We look on them as gifts instead of weeds when they pop up in the garden.

I want to volunteer soon!

Perhaps you’re also thinking about getting involved with Tree Trust. Or maybe it’s been a while. Take a look at some of the important ways you can support the work we do and make a difference in our community.

Make a donation

Charitable donations to Tree Trust help make our programs possible.

Volunteer

Volunteers are the lifeblood of our Community Forestry program. Weekends in the spring and fall are full of busy neighbors getting dirty and putting trees in the ground. On Wednesday evenings in the summer, dedicated weeders remove the competition so the trees along the Midtown Greenway can thrive. And on school days in the spring, advanced volunteers with our Learning with Trees program lead groups of students as they plant trees to create outdoor learning areas on their school grounds.

While fall is giving way to winter and spring is but a distant memory, the truly courageous can still volunteer for trees. In January, we’ll begin taking inventory of ash trees for the Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority to help them prepare for the arrival of emerald ash borer in their area. And you can help! Look for details on our website and in your inbox in January.

Spread the word

If counting trees in the cold isn’t up your alley, here’s a way to get involved that requires little time and effort but goes a long way: spread the word.

Take the time to tell your friends and family about your experiences with Tree Trust and share the news about what we’ve done or are doing in your community. Start by forwarding this newsletter to five friends. Become a fan on Facebook and invite your friends to do the same. Write a testimonial about us on Great Nonprofits. Your own experiences are the best advertisement for planting trees and changing lives in the Twin Cities.

Talk to your employer

Another way to get involved that you may not have thought about is to talk to your employer about Tree Trust.

They may be able to match your donation, make a financial contribution for your volunteer time, donate merchandise or services, sponsor a school’s participation in our Learning with Trees program, or fund a planting event that involves your entire organization. When your employer says, “Wow! We definitely want to get involved with Tree Trust,” you can recommend they contact Tracie at tracieh@treetrust.org or 651-644-5800.

Participate

You can also get involved with Tree Trust by becoming or referring a participant. If you or someone you know could use help developing job skills, take a look at our Youth Conservation Corps summer program, Young Adult Conservation Corps year-round program, and YouthBuild program to see what might be a good fit. If your school might be interested in creating an outdoor learning area on their grounds, check out Learning with Trees for information on bringing this environmental science program to your school.

We hope you’ll choose at least one way to join us as we bring people together to create positive, lasting changes in their communities and in their own lives.