Dearborn Rotary Greens City With Trees, Shrubs

DEARBORN, MI — The city is a little greener, thanks to the folks at the Rotary Club of Dearborn. During the past year, Dearborn Rotary President Bob Gleichauf helped spearhead the planting of 66 trees and more than 200 shrubs and bushes in the Dearborn area.

With support from the Dearborn Rotary Foundation, the tree planting program is in response to a call-to-action by Rotary International President Ian Risely, who challenged each Rotary Club to plant one tree for each club member during the Rotary 2017-2018 year. With more than 1.2 million Rotarians worldwide, the tree planting program represents a significant ecological and beautification enhancement locally and around the globe.

Locally, trees and shrubs are being planted at three area sites, with the first planting in April 2018 of 31 trees on the Salina Elementary and Middle School campus. The tree planting was supervised by members of the Rotary Club of Dearborn along with Salina students and teachers. Students were able to learn about proper tree planting and care as they watched a variety of tree species being planted in their schoolyard.

The second planting site is at The Henry Ford along the lane leading to the Firestone Farm. In keeping with the farm’s original tree colonnade, only sugar maples will be planted at this site. President Gleichauf presented a check for $10,000 to Becky Dennis of The Henry Ford who will secure and supervise the planting of sugar maples on the Firestone Farm this summer. Accepting the donation and thanking the Rotary Club, Dennis said the trees will be viewed and enjoyed by the Village’s 200,000 annual visitors as the trees grow to maturity on the farm.

President Gleichauf also presented a check for $10,000 to the MotorCities National Heritage Area’s Director of Programs & Operations Brian Yopp for trees and shrubs to be incorporated into the new Fort Street Bridge Park. Construction of the park, along with the planting of trees and shrubs will be completed later this summer. The Fort Street Bridge Park commemorates the site of the Ford Hunger March in March, 1932, a turning point event in labor history that led to the formation of the United Auto Workers in 1935. Yopp thanked Rotary for its commitment to the park that will be enjoyed by many residents from Dearborn and Detroit.

The Rotary Club of Dearborn is the city’s oldest service organization and is a proud member of Rotary International bringing together 1.2 million members in more than 34,000 individual clubs to live the motto of “Service Above Self.”

The tree planting project was only one of many community programs, scholarships and supportive donations sponsored by the Rotary Club of Dearborn and its Foundation. 2017-2018 community giving by the Rotary Club of Dearborn totaled $118,000. For more information, visit www.DearbornRotary.org or Rotary Club of Dearborn on Facebook.

Image courtesy Rotary Club of Dearborn

Subscribe to Dearborn Patch for more local news and real-time alerts.