Love that follows loss

by Eric Campbell, Saluting Branches, Board of Directors, Enrollment Committee Chair

Something truly special was set into motion on September 23, 2015. That was the day roughly 1,000 volunteers at 27 cemeteries came out in support of Saluting Branches’ first “Day of Service.” The event was an overwhelming success and it was clear it contained the potential to have national impact. The initiative was formally established as a 501(c)(3) and declared its mission: Saluting Branches was to be an organization through which “We honor American service men and women by organizing volunteer tree and landscape care for the property dedicated to our veterans.”

Last year, roughly 3,000 volunteers served 83 sites across 46 States, with one international event in Mexico at the Mexico City National Cemetery. Now, in its ninth year and with preparations for the 8th Annual Day of Service fully underway, Saluting Branches is poised to serve more than 100 locations across all 50 states, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. The number of participating volunteers is on pace to exceed 2022. This growth is testament to the unfailing dedication, effort, and support of the arboricultural community, and the consistent generosity of industry and private donors who continue to provide deeply appreciated contributions.

These numbers are important. As representations of everything that has been given through this organization over the years, they offer simplified metrics by which the significance of Saluting Branches’ impact can be communicated. They help trace the path that was taken from where we began, to where we are now, and help us determine where it is we want to go.

But numbers don’t tell the whole story. This event, the Day of Service, is not about how many sites are involved, how many trees are touched, or the valuation of the services donated each year. Saluting Branches’ story is about people and the relationships between them. It’s about the places we’re from, the men and women who chose to go, those who returned, and those who did not. It’s about life, service, and sacrifice. It’s a story about love and loss, and the love that follows loss.

For everyone who has taken part in a Saluting Branches Day of Service, the day stands apart. It’s an opportunity to honor the men and women of our Armed Forces by tending to those places where our veterans rest, as only an arborist can. It’s a chance to give of ourselves so that the military community may gather safely in places of beauty for quiet moments on hallowed ground.

Saluting Branches, at its core, is a community event. It’s a day that people in towns and cities across the country set aside every year so they might join together in caring for one another. Saluting Branches is what it is because those who have found their way to it have taken it up as their own and carried it forward. To all of you who have been with us in the past, you have our gratitude and our sincere thanks. We hope we’ll see you again this year. For those of you who have not yet had the opportunity to be a part of a Day of Service, we are very much looking forward to welcoming you in September and hope that you’ll join us.

To get involved with Saluting Branches today, please visit our website