one by one®: Seeds 4 Trees
Louisiana’s Seeds 4 Trees is a nonprofit committed to teaching children the crucial role that tree seeds play in local ecosystems and global forests. Founded and operated by Lisa Delaney, a former seed technician for Louisiana Forest Seed Co., it works with schools, clubs and other organizations to provide hands-on learning opportunities.
“I donate tree-seed growing kits to schools and other organizations,” Delaney said. “Each student gets a kit, and they get to grow their own tree. By doing this, they learn a sense of responsibility because they have to keep the tree alive.”
Planting seeds for a greener future
Seeds 4 Trees began as a program supplying tree-seed growing kits, but it has grown to include interactive programming. Delaney visits first- through fourth-grade classrooms to give presentations on the crucial role of tree seeds in initiating and sustaining forests. Students learn about global forest restoration and the protection of ecosystems. They also get to plant their own seed.
Since its launch in 2020, Seeds 4 Trees has provided 8,000 tree-seed kits. Each one includes a seed Delaney picked by hand. Depending on the time of year, it could be a future oak, persimmon, red maple or birch. Beyond the classrooms, scouts and other organizations in Louisiana, Seeds 4 Trees has sent kits to Alabama, Florida, Tennessee and Texas.
The kits themselves include a seed, a plastic zip-top bag, a small cup and a peat pellet—a compressed soil disc that, once watered, expands. Once combined, Delaney said the bag becomes like a little greenhouse.
Promotional thank-you gifts spread far and wide
Seeds 4 Trees used a one by one grant to purchase tumblers imprinted with the organization’s logo. The tumblers were given as a token of appreciation to teachers who welcomed Delaney into their classroom.
Tumblers were also given to volunteers who regularly helped during outreach events, like farmers markets and festivals. Volunteers sometimes help prepare tree-seed growing kits when a large amount is needed. “Last summer, I had 700 kits I had to put together,” Delaney said. “I called in a few people and, because I operate out of my house, we spread everything out on the dining room table and put the kits together.”
A note from Cheryl
Seeds 4 Trees gives students wonderful hands-on education about the import role of forests in our natural world. That’s a mission we were proud to support by providing tumblers to give as promotional thank-you gifts. If you’re interested in a one by one grant, visit onebyone.4imprint.com.