Greening New Jersey, one tree at a time.
What a year at the NJ Tree Foundation! Here are highlights from our 2017 accomplishments, including the planting of 3,664 trees thanks to the help of over 1,300 volunteers. Thank you for being a part of our success! We are looking forward to partnering with you in 2018. If you love these photos and want to contribute to our success in 2018, please donate. Happy New Year, tree family! Read more
I met Carlos in the fall of 2008. He was coming off a stint in state prison and was in Logan Hall, a halfway house in Newark. I was struck by his good attitude and quirky sense of humor. I hired him to work for our Green Streets Program, where we train and pay men under parole supervision to plant trees and construct green infrastructure projects. After a few weeks of planting trees together, Carlos nicknamed me Master Ip after Bruce Lee’s trainer. Read more
The Masjidun-Nur Islamic Learning Center in the Parkside neighborhood of the City of Camden sits just below the PATCO speedline. On one side of Mechanic Street there are trees which bring shade and beauty to the neighborhood while reducing noise and air pollution from the speedline. On the other side, where the Masjidun-Nur Islamic Learning Center is located, there were few trees, and the street was too hot.
Brother Saleem Muwwakkil had a vision for his Islamic Center. He wanted to plant trees to increase shade and use the trees as an outdoor classroom for their children’s program. This year, Brother Saleem approached the NJ Tree Foundation with an application for trees. His project was one of the first plantings that I took on as the new Program Coordinator for the Urban Airshed Reforestation Program. In the months leading up to the planting, Brother Saleem and I worked together to bring his vision to life. The Center was like a blank canvas! We chose to plant trees of varying heights and types, flowering and non flowering, along the street and inside the Center’s lot.
On October 7th, we had 58 dedicated volunteers from businesses, schools, and fellow nonprofits help plant 23 trees on Mechanic Street. Redbuds, little leaf lindens, and American elms were planted to provide shade and beauty. Brother Saleem is so grateful for his new trees and is eager to see how the trees will look years from now, with “Plenty of shade in the streets.”
Projects such as this are not possible without your support. Please help us continue to plant trees in the City of Camden and other South Jersey cities in need by making a donation to the NJ Tree Foundation today. We thank you for your support if you have already donated this year.
Sincerely,
NJ Tree Foundation
I first met teachers Ms. Monika Hannemann and Ms. Monikk Gray in 2013 when Ms. Hannemann applied for trees at Weequahic High School in Newark. Ms. Hannemann and Ms. Gray were instrumental in turning a once barren Chancellor Avenue into a shady tree-lined street. The Weequahic High School planting event had a significant impact on their students, the neighborhood, and the women themselves.
When Ms. Hannemann began teaching at University High School, she saw a need for trees there too. In the spring of 2017, we planted 15 trees with students to line the front facade of their school and the back courtyard. As Principal Mendez mentioned, the hedge maples, ginkgos, and tree lilacs “will grow alongside the students who planted them.”
It is incredibly inspiring to work alongside passionate teachers and young adults who are thrilled to help green their neighborhoods. At the most recent planting at University High School, Ms. Hannemann described the importance of planting trees with youth. “I love interacting with students outside of a traditional classroom setting, working towards a common goal. Some students who do not excel as much in the classroom stood out as leaders at this tree planting,“ she explained with a look of pride.
This beautiful history of greening Newark’s schools and connecting urban youth to trees is only possible with your donations. Please help us continue to inspire youth and adults alike while making our cities greener by donating to the NJ Tree Foundation this December.
