Davey Tree Flipbooks

July/August 2015 | 11 Race to Support Trees Idea submitted by: Shannon Westphal, coordinator, Illinois region, R/C services TCOT's Mount Vernon crew lifts New Rochelle City Mayor Noam Bramson higher than 40 feet in their aerial bucket truck. First Stop: New Rochelle, New York This year, New Rochelle, New York, took its annual Arbor Day celebration to new heights. On Earth Day, The Care of Trees' (TCOT's) Mount Vernon crew, Roberto Rodriguez and John Broggy, equipped Mayor Noam Bramson with proper personal protective equipment and then proceeded to raise him in a bucket truck 40 feet above the ground. The Mayor and city officials invited commu- nity members and New Rochelle's High School AP Environmental Studies class to participate in a two-hour Arbor Day event. This was the first year TCOT sponsored the event, an initiative led by Client Experience Coordinator Lori Teitz. "We got the opportunity to talk about proper tree care, especially in an urban setting," Teitz says. "It was a great time to educate the community." The event took place at the grounds of the Huguenot Children's Library. TCOT arranged a tree climbing demonstration, answered all tree/landscape-related questions and hosted a "Touch a Truck" event—allowing children to explore a bucket truck from the inside out. Second Stop: Scarsdale, New York Greenville School District decided Arbor Day was a great time to give its elementary school's outdoor "Habitat" new life—providing children space to re-connect and learn in nature. The district created its Day of Service to clean-up the Habitat and invited students, parents of students, faculty and The Care of Trees' (TCOT's) Mount Vernon office to participate. Greg Elliffe, district manager of TCOT's Mount Vernon office, and Trimmers Dimas Reyes and Paul Vega participated at the event. TCOT's team cleaned up plant beds, pruned trees and shrubs and trimmed ornamentals on the property to demonstrate ways to clean-up the Habitat for spring to students and faculty. "It's always important to give back to the Two Tree Stops in New York Idea submitted by: Lori Teitz, client experience coordinator, Mount Vernon TCOT Left: Davey runners pictured from left to right: Jon and Connor Kingzette, sons of Shawn Kingzette; Bob Jungwirth; Kathy Vranek; Katrina Baltes; Shawn Kingzette; Jason Austin; and, in back, Patrick Etherington. Far left: Shannon Westphal's daughter, Avryl, holds the sign she made to cheer on runners. M ost people plant trees to celebrate Arbor Day—others show their support for trees by running. More than 1,500 runners participated in the fifth annual Morton Arboretum 10k, including six Davey employees and their children. This was Davey's first time participating in the race; employees were excited to support trees and help continue a strong partnership with the Morton Arboretum in Chicago, Illinois. Davey runners included: Bob Jungwirth, sales arborist at Davey's Northwest Chicago office; Kathy Vranek, sales arborist at the West Chicago office; Katrina Baltes, client experience coordinator at the West Chicago office; Shawn Kingzette, district manager at the Northwest Chicago office; Jason Austin, sales arborist at the North Chicago office; and Patrick Etherington, sales arborist at The Care of Trees' Lake Bluff office. All Davey runners completed the race within the top half of their age group. Etherington finished eighth overall in the event. Congratulations to all participants! community, especially to benefit kids," Elliffe says. "We had the chance to improve the space and bring the children closer to nature."

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