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Trees promote nonprofit groups
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NATURAL TREE: Bill Slabe places natural ornaments on a tree for the Men’s Garden Club of Youngstown. Only home-grown items were used as decorations for the tree, which was one of 40 to be displayed at the visitor center at Fellows Riverside Gardens in Mill Creek Park.
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William D. Lewis/ The Vindicator A dried tomato decorates a tree at the Davis Center in Mill Creek PArk.The Youngstown mens garden club tree is decorated with items grown in club member's gardens. More than 40 trees will be on display.
By Jon Moffett
Many of the Christmas trees have a theme similar to the organization they represent.
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the Mill Creek MetroParks in Youngstown.
Garland, bows and other decorations are strewn about the walls of the D.D. and Velma Davis Education and Visitors Center at Fellows Riverside Gardens. Scattered among the decor are trees dressed up for the season.
“It’s exciting,” said Linda Kostka, director of marketing and development for the MetroParks. “Now that it’s December and it’s cold, we’re all getting into the holiday spirit.”
The 40 trees are more than just festive decorations. They are more like living billboards for community nonprofit organizations.
“We have 40 live Christmas trees that we’ve invited members of the nonprofit community to come in and decorate to promote their organizations,” Kostka said. “We get so many people in here in the winter time and month of December with [events], so it gives them a chance to promote their organizations.”
The decorated trees will be on display at the visitor center from Sunday until Jan. 4.
Volunteers from some of the organizations were at the center Monday to decorate their respective trees. And many of the trees had a theme similar to the group.
The Hands On Volunteer Network of the Valley decorated its tree with the colors – blue, green and gray – of the organization.
WFMJ-TV 21 had a “Feed Our Valley” theme with empty miniature cereal boxes and soup cans as ornaments and a donation box. The Men’s Garden Club of Youngstown furnished its tree with homegrown ornaments.
“Everything comes from the members’ yards and gardens,” said Lynn Hoffmann, chairman of the scholarship committee for the Men’s Garden Club. “We wanted something that all the members could participate in and take an active part in. We’ve got about 90 percent of the members that brought something.”
Though the trees provide a festive feel to the park, they also act as a bridge between the MetroParks and the community.
“I think it’s important to us because we have the means to help the nonprofit organizations in the Valley promote themselves and their services,” Kostka said. “I think it’s a great community service and a great way for us to connect.”
Horticulture director Keith Kaiser added, “It’s great that the MetroParks can have a place to let other nonprofit organizations in our community, that don’t maybe have a face to the community, have a place to be seen.”
With more than 3,000 people expected to attend various winter events, the spotlight hopefully will be shifted to the organizations, Kostka said.
“A lot of people come through and look at the trees and say they’ve never heard of an organization,” Kostka said. “So this is a good way to find out.”
jmoffett@vindy.com
Here is a list of the 40 nonprofit organizations that have a tree at the MetroParks’ visitors center:
Altrusa International Inc.
American Heart Association
Art Youngstown
Audubon Society of the Mahoning Valley
Ballet Western Reserve
Boys & Girls Club of Youngstown
Children’s Center for Science & Technology
Clear Channel Youngstown
D&E Counseling Center
Down Syndrome Association of the Valley
Easter Seals
Garden Forum of Greater Youngstown
Garden District Neighborhood
Girl Scout Troop 753
Goodwill
Grow Youngstown
Hands On Volunteer Network
Holborn Herb Growers Guild
Mahoning County CASA/GAL
Mahoning County Help Me Grow
Mahoning Soil and Water Conservation District
Mahoning Valley Dahlia Society
Mahoning Valley Historical Society
Mahoning Valley Landscape & Nursery Association
Mahoning Valley Rose Society
Make A Wish
Men’s Garden Club of Youngstown
Mill Creek MetroParks
Ohio State University Extension
Potential Development Program Inc.
ReStore Habitat for Humanity
The Rich Center for Autism
Second Harvest Food Bank
SMARTS/Youngstown State University
Treez Please
United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley
Villa Maria Education and Spirituality Center
WFMJ/WBCB
YWCA of Youngstown
Youngstown CityScape
Source: Mill Creek MetroParks