It was a beautiful spring morning this past Saturday as we joined our longstanding partners at Friends of Trees to plant 220 trees across the Arbor Lodge, Kenton, Portsmouth, and Overlook neighborhoods of North Portland. While we had a handful of first time volunteers that are just getting stuck in (including some wee ones), there were many familiar faces that it was great to see and catch up with after the long off-season as we got dirty together in service to our community.
Our relationship with Friends of Trees has existed for a decade now and has grown and evolved over that time. Over their 29 years of service, they’ve grown in strength and effectiveness, and have a volunteer workforce that rivals any in the region. As many of the things we do, this relationship started with a member who was involved with both organizations that wanted to bring in a group of us to have some fun and do some good. Now, they know to call on us when they need help and we will answer the call with our spirit and vigor to help them accomplish their mission when they’re most in need. As the tree planting season nears completion, we’ll raise a pint to solute the great work Friends of Trees does and our honor to be their partner. We’ll look forward to celebrating their 30th year once the soccer seasons come to a close. You'll be invited to the party.
Just as this relationship started with a member doing great things wanted to fold us in, you too can grow what we have. As a member of the 107ist who cares about our mission in the community, we rely on people like you to be our eyes on the street, our boots on the ground, our drum beat echoing through our community far and wide. If you see something, learn of something, care about something deeply, raise the flag and let us know how we may be able to help. That’s how we do what we do, how we’ve become the organization we are, and how we’ll grow into the future.
Let’s do this, Portland.
