Home Depot Sponsors Tree Planting Events
Ten major cities will become greener this spring thanks to a generous grant from The Home Depot Foundation for Arbor Day celebrations. This grant supports The Home Depot Foundation's Healthy Community and Wildland Forests—Urban Forest Restoration initiative, a nationwide effort that focuses on tree planting to restore urban and rural forests. These fun, educational events will also teach children and volunteers about the important benefits of trees in their communities. The kickoff event will be held in February in Atlanta, Georgia, location of Home Depot's corporate offices. The next tree planting will be in Los Angeles in March, then on Arbor Day, April 28, in Phoenix, Chicago, Boston, Dallas, Kansas City, and Minneapolis. The Arbor Day Foundation is working with city officials, urban foresters, and community groups in each city to determine specific locations and tree species for the planting celebrations. Approximately 100 large trees will be planted in each location, adding beauty, helping to purify the air, and creating shade for residents to enjoy. School children in each city will help plant the trees as part of Arbor Day celebrations, giving them an opportunity to take an active role in improving their own communities and to interact with nature and the world around them. Participating teachers receive Activity Guides to help them present nature education lessons in preparation for the events. These lessons include hands-on and outdoor exploration activities to help children build crucial observation and problem-solving skills. After each event, every child who takes part also receives a seedling to plant at home or elsewhere in the community. The Arbor Day Foundation appreciates this tremendous support of our mission through these programs and The Home Depot Foundation's commitment to improving communities and the environment throughout America! Press Release(For regional press information, click on an individual city in the menu.) TEN U.S. CITIES SELECTED FOR URBAN ARBOR DAY CELEBRATIONSNATIONAL ARBOR DAY FOUNDATION EVENTS, FUNDED BY GRANT FROM HOME DEPOT FOUNDATION, FOCUS ON UNDERSERVED, INNER-CITY AREAS. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Nebraska City, NE (November 7, 2005) – The Arbor Day Foundation will plant trees to restore diminishing urban forests in ten major U.S. cities in Spring 2006, thanks to a generous grant from The Home Depot Foundation for urban Arbor Day celebrations. To kick off the project, the first celebration is scheduled for Georgia’s Arbor Day, on February 17, 2006, in Atlanta, location of The Home Depot’s corporate office. Subsequent Arbor Day celebrations will be scheduled on or close to state Arbor Days in 2006, as follows, with specific locations to be announced prior to each event:
(Note: April 28 events coincide with National Arbor Day, celebrated annually on the last Friday in April.) Schoolchildren in each city will be invited to help plant up to 100 4-8 ft. trees as part of the Arbor Day celebration, giving them an opportunity to take an active role in improving their own communities and to interact with nature. Participating teachers will receive Activities Guides to help them present nature education lessons in preparation for the events. These lessons include hands-on and outdoor exploration activities for helping children build crucial observation and problem-solving skills. After each event, every child who takes part will receive a seedling tree to plant at home or elsewhere in the community. This grant supports The Home Depot Foundation’s Healthy Community and Wildland Forests – Urban Forest Restoration initiative, focusing on tree planting to restore urban and rural forests. These fun, educational Arbor Day events will help restore and maintain urban forests in metropolitan areas while teaching children and volunteers about the important benefits of trees in their communities, including cleaner air, decreased heat-island effects, reduced energy usage, and shade and beauty for residents. "We are excited to partner with The Arbor Day Foundation on this initiative. Our foundation works with affordable housing and tree planting organizations across the country to promote livable, healthy and affordable communities. This partnership provides a terrific opportunity to further our goals," said Kelly Caffarelli, Executive Director, The Home Depot Foundation. “We are grateful to The Home Depot Foundation for their commitment to maintaining healthy urban forests,” said John Rosenow, President of The Arbor Day Foundation. “Their support is helping us reach underserved, inner cities, where trees are so desperately needed.” About The Home Depot Foundation: The Home Depot Foundation invests in nonprofit organizations that are in the business of building better communities. The Home Depot and many of the suppliers who help fill the company’s shelves contribute to The Home Depot Foundation to help fulfill their shared vision of creating stronger, healthier neighborhoods. The Foundation focuses its efforts in the areas of affordable, efficient and healthy housing production and rehabilitation and tree planting to restore urban and rural forests. See www.homedepotfoundation.org for more information. About The Arbor Day Foundation: Founded in 1972, The Arbor Day Foundation is a non-profit organization established to inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees. The Foundation’s national membership is nearly one million members, with more than eight million trees distributed to its members annually. The Foundation has worked with the USDA Forest Service since 1990, planting nearly four million trees in National Forests damaged by fire, insects or other natural causes. Visit www.arborday.org for more information. # # # |
