CANOPY CONNECTIONS Fall 2023
Growing Through Partnerships By Jared Smith, Executive Director & CEO Welcome to our rebranded “insider” newsletter. There is so much great information to share with our most important stakeholders – information you may not find in our blog or social media posts – that we are expanding and renaming our quarterly newsletter. I hope you’ll find it informative and inspirational. You are partners in our work, and we wouldn’t be here without you. In August we wrapped up our 46th Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP). I had Dakota County Workforce Development staff joined Tree Trust staff and Summer Crew at Red Oak Park in Burnsville. the pleasure of visiting many of our SYEP sites, where I observed the impact of these partnerships in the lives of youth. SYEP participants, aged 14-21, learned practical skills while making our community greener and healthier by completing landscaping and construction projects. At the Red Oak Disc Golf Course in Burnsville, the youth proudly showed me how they had used construction math and building skills to build benches for disc golf players to rest while moving through the game. The crew also mulched the landings and performed vegetation management along the trails. If you are a disc golfer, check out the course and know your generosity helped enhance the course for many to enjoy. In addition to the great work our program staff did with the youth, the Tree Trust leadership team spent intentional time and energy planning for the future. The leadership team gathered for two days to review current successes and challenges, lay out a plan for continued growth, and learn new tools and strategies to roll out across the organization. Thank you for your loyal partnership and support. Read on to hear how your generosity is transforming lives and landscapes.
@treetrust
@treetrustmn
1419 Energy Park Drive, St. Paul, MN 55108
952-767-3880
company/tree-trust www.treetrust.org