Our TreeKeepers class started this week and we had a wonderful response from the community. The city has offered this program for more than 10 years and while there was a strong response the first few years, the classes have been 20-25 for the last few years. Year after year there were citizens who wanted to learn about trees and share their time.
This year we had such a pleasant surprise - 39 volunteers are in the class - about a 50% increase from last year! So, why such great participation? Was it simply luck, was it our new class schedule or did we promote it better?
Today members of the class introduced themselves and several mentioned President Obama, his emphasis on service and the volunteer service he promoted on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day earlier this week as their reason for being there.
Often these national days of service or trends are difficult to see play out locally. Our new president may just be providing the encouragement to get more people active. I'm pleased to see it!! Thanks to everyone who is sharing their time to serve!
