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| Volunteers plant trees as a part of a local boy's Eagle Scout Project. |
Fall is a great time to plant trees, and a Peoria church was the beneficiary of a local boy's effort to complete his Eagle Scout Training. Matthew Moorman chose to plant six native trees at Bethany Baptist Church, his home church. Matthew is a long time friend of my daughter Makayla, so when he asked if I could help him with his scouting project, I was happy to do whatever I could.
You see, an Eagle Scout Project is a culmination of over a decade's worth of training and preparation for the Boy Scout's highest member rank. Matthew had a lot of help over the 12 months he spent preparing for the project. Leaders from his church provided planning guidance and a place to do the project. His mom prepared food and offered logistical support. Matthew and I spent several meeting discussing species selection, proper planting of trees and timing for the work. Over 20 volunteers came together to make the project a reality.
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| Volunteers helped Matthew plant the trees. |
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| Matthew Moorman and his mom on planting day. |
I love working with groups like this. It gives me an opportunity to share the knowledge and experience I have gained over my career. "Relationships" is one of our Core Values at Designer Concepts. We love the opportunity to give back to a community we serve. But more than that, you never know when an event like this will inspire someone to find their career. That is exactly what happened to me way back in 1993 while studying at the University of Illinois. On a volunteer weekend in East St. Louis, we helped turn a vacant lot into a neighborhood park. I discovered how I could keep my hands in the earth and do fun, creative design things at the same time. That was my first glimpse of my current profession, Landscape Architecture, and it truly changed my life forever.
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| A much younger me back when I first discovered landscape architecture. |
