Shutdown ends. Summer program resumes.

Three critical things happened this week: a state budget was approved, the government shutdown ended, and we were notified of funding awards for our summer Youth Conservation Corps program. As a result, we have been able to resume most of the summer programming that had been suspended or delayed during the government budget crisis.

We are pleased to have the majority of our youth participants back to work. However we are disappointed by the negative effects of the state budget impasse on the youth we serve. For the hundreds of young people whose jobs were temporarily suspended or cancelled entirely, they lost wages, the opportunity to have a work and character-building experience, and a chance to engage in something positive in their own communities.

We invite you to stop by the remaining work sites at Twin Cities parks and tell our summer crews what their hard work means to your community. For a list of current locations, please contact Tracie at 952.767.3881 or tracieh@treetrust.org.