GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Hundreds of volunteers put down more roots in the Garfield Park neighborhood. To celebrate the country's 250th birthday, neighbors planted 250 trees in Garfield Park on Friday.
With a shovel in hand, 18-year-old Dayton Harris and his brother joined hundreds of volunteers to plant trees.
"I kind of like to get the get the ground soft up first, and then I make my own dirt pile," Harris said.
Harris and his brother are looking to make a difference in the Garfield Park neighborhood. When asked how many trees he wanted to plant today, Harris had a goal in mind.
"At least 10, at least," Harris said.
"You're planting here today is because that tree canopy is not equally distributed throughout the city," Friends of Grand Rapids Parks Executive Director Stacy Bare said.
Since 2008, Friends of Grand Rapids Parks, volunteers, and Harris have planted more than 10,000 trees. This year, during America's 250th birthday, they are working on giving their best present to neighbors.
"We’ve gotten a lot of support as well from the America Grand Rapids 250th birthday party, which has been a fantastic partner. Consumers has been a really great partner. They're the presenting partner this year. It's the 250th birthday of America. So it's fun to plant 250 trees," Bare said.
The group planted 250 trees for 250 years, all in one weekend. Friends of Grand Rapids Parks plans to do another big present, planning to plant another 250 trees this fall.
When asked if it strikes him to think about the fact that 250 years later, someone might be sitting underneath a tree he planted,Bare reflected on the impact.
"It's so hard to fathom, but yeah, like somebody planted this tree, right? That's the beauty of it, like, who knows what stories that tree could tell, or what things happen around that tree," Bare said.
Harris says he cannot wait.
"I’m gonna be so shocked and happy, because I want to bring my kid, or one of my other, out here and let them know, like I planted that tree and they can do it as well," Harris said.
The Arbor Day Foundation recently recognized Grand Rapids. The city earned its 28th Tree City USA honor for its commitment to plant, grow and maintain trees for neighbors.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
