one by one®: Trees Forever
When a massive windstorm, known as a derecho, tore through the Midwest in 2020, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was hit especially hard. Along with billions of dollars in property damage, the city lost about 670,000 trees, amounting to roughly 70% of the tree canopy. That’s when Trees Forever sprang into action.
The nonprofit was founded in 1989 as a grassroots group of volunteers dedicated to planting and caring for trees, shrubs, and native grasses and plants. It partnered with the city of Cedar Rapids to create ReLeaf Cedar Rapids, a comprehensive 10-year plan to replace trees lost during the derecho. The initiative involved extensive fundraising and thousands of volunteers.
A community plan to grow together
Enzo Nagao, ReLeaf Cedar Rapids volunteer coordinator, has been a part of the effort since joining Trees Forever in 2021. “We’re now in the third year of the plan and we’ve planted about 16,000 trees,” Nagao said. “We’ve worked with hundreds of volunteers from many different organizations and raised several million dollars.”
Trees Forever’s Growing Futures, a teen employment program, gives high school students opportunities to improve their natural environment and learn through activities like job shadowing and financial literacy lessons. The Growing Futures team is among the ReLeaf tree-planting force.
Gifts for nonprofit workers add visibility
Nagao used a one by one grant to purchase Yupoong® Retro Trucker Caps to use as gifts for nonprofit workers who are involved in the Growing Futures program. “There’s always a laundry list of branded items the teens want. A lot of them had requested baseball caps and it was a great fit because they’re working outside.”
The Growing Futures team loves the hats and puts them to good use on Saturdays, when they gather to plant trees around Cedar Rapids. The caps provide shade and promote the Trees Forever brand.
“Opportunities like this grant are extremely important for an organization like ours,” Nagao said. “This grant allowed us to buy our team and our employees something special that we might not otherwise be able to afford.”
A note from Cheryl
It’s amazing to learn about the work Trees Forever is doing to help Cedar Rapids bounce back. The organization has an impact not just on the environment but also on many young people. 4imprint was proud to support this work by providing caps to be used as gifts for nonprofit workers. If you’re interested in a one by one grant, visit onebyone.4imprint.com.
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