Project funded by State Farm disaster recovery grant for 2019 tornado damage
Richardson, Texas – The Texas Trees Foundation, State Farm, and Arbor Day Foundation, will be distributing free trees in Richardson to help reforest damaged and lost trees from the 2019 tornado.
- Location: Dallas College Richland Campus, 12800 Abrams Road, Richardson
- Date: Saturday, October 9
- Time: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Registration: https://bit.ly/3ALIPZn
Each tree will be accompanied by a bag of mulch and tree planting and maintenance instructions. Residents receiving a tree agree to water and tend to the trees during its establishment period. To learn more about this event, please visit https://bit.ly/3ALIPZn.
“The 2019 tornado impacted people’s lives in a traumatic way, and we have not forgotten about them. The most lasting effect is the tree canopy many of these neighborhoods lost, and whose once very character was often defined by tree lined streets,” Texas Trees Foundation President and CEO Janette Monear said. “We are so grateful to partner with State Farm and the Arbor Day Foundation to help provide healing through trees to communities such as Richardson.”
This project is one of 16 national projects, focused on areas that have been significantly damaged by natural disasters, including wildfires, major storms, and urban heat. For the next three months, State Farm will be engaging agents and employees across the country to plant and distribute trees in an effort to help rebuild these devastated communities and inspire hope for those who have been impacted the most.
“Trees play a vital role in the stability of our communities and their resilience against disaster,” said State Farm Vice President of Administrative Services Jenny Greminger, who oversees the company’s environmental sustainability team. “Replanting, in a strategic way, will help impacted areas recover and potentially better withstand future challenges.”’
These autumn plantings and distributions follow several reforestation projects that were carried out by State Farm and the Arbor Day Foundation in Spring 2021. Through this collaboration, more than 235,000 trees were planted in several forests across the country that have experienced a severe loss in canopy due to wildfires and hurricane damage. With the severity and rate of natural disasters on the rise, projects like these are becoming increasingly important in protecting both our planet’s ecosystems and the communities we all live.
State Farm recently introduced the “Good Neighbors. Better World.” initiative, which connects social responsibility and environmental sustainability as core aspects of doing business. This outlook is explored in the company’s first Environmental, Social and Governance report, released in March of this year.
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About State Farm: The mission of State Farm is to help people manage the risks of everyday life, recover from the unexpected, and realize their dreams. State Farm and its affiliates are the largest providers of auto and home insurance in the United States. Its 19,300 agents and nearly 55,000 employees serve approximately 86 million policies and accounts – which includes auto, fire, life, health, commercial policies and financial services accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 39 on the 2021 Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com.
About Texas Trees Foundation: The Texas Trees Foundation (Texas Trees) serves as a catalyst in creating a new green legacy for North Texas through transformational, research-based plans that educate and mobilize the public to activate the social, economic, environmental, and health benefits that trees and urban forestry provide for a better quality of life. The Mission of the Texas Trees Foundation is (i) to preserve, beautify and expand parks and other public natural green spaces, and (ii) to beautify our public streets, boulevards and rights-of-way by planting trees and encouraging others to do the same through educational programs that focus on the importance of building and protecting the “urban forest” today as a legacy for generations to come.
About the Arbor Day Foundation: Founded in 1972, the Arbor Day Foundation has grown to become the largest nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees, with more than one million members, supporters, and valued partners. During the last 45 years, more than 350 million Arbor Day Foundation trees have been planted in neighborhoods, communities, cities and forests throughout the world. Our vision is to help others understand and use trees as a solution to many of the global issues we face today, including air quality, water quality, climate change, deforestation, poverty and hunger. As one of the world's largest operating conservation foundations, the Arbor Day Foundation educates and engages stakeholders and communities across the globe to involve themselves in its mission of planting, nurturing, and celebrating trees. More information is available at arborday.org.