|
Though it felt like going “out on a limb” when he signed up for the neighborhood tree planting event, Columbia Credit Union member Ken Davis signed up anyway.
“I had no idea what to expect,” said Ken. “I didn’t know anybody and didn’t know if I could haul trees around — but it all turned out much better than I expected.” As it turned out, Ken got much more than two Black Tupelo trees planted in his yard: he made new friends, had fun and discovered a way to give back to the community.
 On a recent Saturday morning, Ken showed up for a tree planting event in the Heights area neighborhoods. A group of Columbia staff members also volunteered in honor of the Heights neighborhood winning the “Neighborhood of the 150th” contest. In total, nearly 90 volunteers gathered that day to plant 87 trees, serve food or help coordinate the event.
The “Neighborhood of the 150th” honored one neighborhood that demonstrated the spirit of the community with vision for its future through the City of Vancouver’s Sparkles Award program. Columbia and the City of Vancouver partnered together to honor the winning neighborhood with Columbia sponsoring 150 trees to aid the event. A special planting of the 150th tree is scheduled for Vancouver’s Arbor Day celebration on April 9 at McLoughlin Middle School.
In addition to improving the landscape, trees provide essential benefits like filtering air pollution, producing oxygen and cutting home energy use. To increase the number of trees in Vancouver, event organizers, Friends of Trees and Vancouver’s Urban Forestry Program schedule tree planting events to enhance neighborhoods, increase the area’s tree canopy and build community spirit. Trees are offered at a reduced price and in exchange, recipients are asked to volunteer at a tree planting event.
All the volunteers were assigned to teams and as luck would have it, Ken was assigned to work with Columbia’s staff. “I feel really fortunate to have met the volunteers from Columbia. They were so pleasant and upbeat; we had instant rapport!” said Ken. “We really had fun working together planting trees. It was very rewarding to see each newly planted tree standing tall and ready to grow, knowing that we were making a difference for others in the community.”
A long-time member, Ken finds his Columbia accounts rewarding too, especially his RewardsPLUS checking, which he uses with online banking. “I really like the convenience of accessing my account online,” said Ken. “It’s easy to make automatic payments, transfer money and check my account.”
Because he also has a money market account, Ken likes to take advantage of the great deals offered in his free Entertainment Book that he receives from Columbia every year. “I get good value out of using it,” shared Ken.
In addition, Ken likes the convenience of tapping his home equity line of credit when he needs quick funds, as well as using Columbia’s Wealth Management Department to help with financial planning. Overall, he’s very satisfied with his membership. “Columbia is very service oriented, not profit oriented, yet their rates seem just as competitive as or more so than other places,” shared Ken.
When he’s not taking care of his finances, Ken enjoys digital photography, cooking, habitat restoration and bird watching. To date, he has observed about 35 different types of birds visiting his yard. He could see a few more in the future because his Black Tupelo trees produce berries that attract his feathered friends.
As a result of his participation, Ken has become more aware of the crucial role trees play in Vancouver’s future. “I went from knowing nothing about this project to developing a deep appreciation of improving our tree canopy,” said Ken.
Through the hard work of many, the tree planting event was a success for the community and the environment. Noted Ken, “I was so impressed by the cooperative efforts of many people and organizations banding together to do good work. It gave me a great sense of pride as we worked to benefit others in our community.”
|
