Lakewood City Schools Partners with City of Lakewood To Set Up Gift-a-Tree Fund

LAKEWOOD, OH — The Lakewood City Schools has teamed up with the City of Lakewood and Keep Lakewood Beautiful to launch Lakewood City Schools Gift-a-Tree Fund, which will allow donors to purchase trees for school grounds. Money raised through the fund will be dedicated solely to urban forestry programs (tree purchase, planting, pruning, care, and maintenance) on school district properties. The tax-deductible donations to the Lakewood City School Gift-a-Tree Fund will support tree plantings on Lakewood City Schools properties and help properly care for the trees so students and the community can reap the real benefits of trees for years to come.

Trees are an important part of our urban environment and they provide us with many benefits. Besides the aesthetic beauty trees offer in all seasons, there are many valuable reasons to maintain and increase our urban canopy on school properties. The shade trees provide give cooling benefits to people, but also reduce cooling costs of buildings and extend pavement life. Trees reduce: crime rates, cruising speeds, noise pollution, and storm-water runoff. Trees increase property values. Trees generate oxygen and remove air pollution.

“We are proud to be able to offer this option for parents and the community to help provide a more healthy and more beautiful learning environment for our students,” said Superintendent Jeff Patterson.

Research has identified even more specific benefits trees give to schools and students: Students who have views and daily exposure to natural settings have increased ability to focus and better perform; children who regularly play around big trees and grass have milder ADHD symptoms; students’ performance can be enhanced by just viewing trees through a window (studies show these students have higher standardized test scores, higher graduation rates and are more likely to attend college); greener environments promote healthier social behavior and less aggression in students. Also, green school grounds and mini-forests provide new learning opportunities for students and students are more enthusiastic to go to school and be motivated to learn there when the grounds are green.

With all these studies showing trees benefit students, it follows that trees benefit human health as it lowers the incidence of asthma, depression and anxiety disorders, and violent behaviors. Trees help people stay healthier. With children, the more trees that are in a child’s environment the lower the body mass index. Other studies show green school grounds with trees and gardens improve the quantity and quality of children’s physical activity. One of eight children are affected by anxiety disorders and increased risk of poor school performance and substance abuse, but studies show that nature calms and soothes children.

The Lakewood City Schools Gift-a-Tree Fund is modeled on a similar program that the City of Lakewood has instituted. The school district’s fund will be managed by the City of Lakewood Finance Department. A donation form can be found on the District’s web site under Quick Links at www.lakewoodcityschools.org

Photo by Rick Uldricks/Patch