Here at TreePeople, we love our volunteers. We’re a small organization striving to make a big impact – from planting more than 2 million trees in our 40+ years as an organization to working with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power on a Stormwater Capture Master Plan – and to do that, we need all the help we can get. We rely on our volunteers for everything from helping out at special events to maintaining our park to participating at our drought response events. Some 10,000 Angelenos volunteer with us each year and we’re so, so grateful for their help.

We like to think that volunteering at TreePeople doesn’t just help us (and the trees!) – it also helps our volunteers feel inspired by giving back to the community, helping the environment, and contributing to a sustainable Los Angeles. So we’re thrilled when we hear back from volunteers who feel the same. After May 17th and 18th’s Big Sunday weekend of volunteering, we received emails from a number of volunteers who had a blast helping out at our events. One of those volunteers was Phin Bauer, a high school student who wrote us to say:

[blockquote]This past weekend, I attended three volunteer sessions, and I felt it was necessary to relay my feelings back to you. Although I was pushed to do this community service through a school assignment, I was immediately hooked after the first job, planting trees in Huntington Park. It was not only interesting learning the process of planting trees, but I also ended up having a lot of fun. I was assigned into a group to plant these trees, and while most kids were there on school projects or something of that sort, one girl told me she wasn’t in high school. When I asked her why she was there, she simply told me that she had fun doing it. At first, it was hard for me to believe her, but as I continued the service, I realized I was having a great time.

Keeping up a healthy environment is a vital part our society, and I believe that it should be taken care of in a much more serious manner than it currently is in this region. “Trees need people. And people need trees.” I think it’s important to spread the importance of this aspect of our world. Very few people realize the necessity of trees and the environment, and even less know how fun it could actually be to protect and help the environment. I was hooked into it right away. I then attended two more volunteer programs the following day, and had just as much fun and pride restoring the environment. I know I will continue to not only volunteer with your organization to preserve nature, but I’ll also spread my experience to my peers and encourage them to have a good time helping the environment.

Again, thank you for allowing me to partake in this empowering experience and I wish you an immense amount of success and progress in your endeavor, fully knowing that I will now be a major part in the fight to save our natural world. [/blockquote]

Thank you to Phin and all of our volunteers who help out in ways big and small! If you want to join us at future events, check out our website and calendar to learn about our different volunteer programs. And if you’ve volunteered and would like to share your experiences, please email us at volunteer@treepeople.org. We can’t wait to hear your stories!