By Glore Ruiz
It was the beginning of Earth month. Calls were coming in from companies interested in participating with Forest ReLeaf to celebrate trees and the environment. That’s when we first heard about Keeley Companies. Lauren Griffin, the KeeleyCares Manager, called. She had recently heard about Forest ReLeaf and wanted to establish a partnership. The usual ideas were discussed – participating in the beloved potting experience at the nursery or a meaningful stewardship day at a park. Then the conversation took an interesting turn. Lauren told us about #KeeleyCares, their philanthropic foundation, and about the work they have done in the past with the Urban League. That established relationship led her to ask if they could plant trees at Head Start Schools.
After a meeting with the Director of Head Start Schools, the location in the Covenant Blu neighborhood was identified as a potential site to host a tree planting. It took several months before we could get in for the initial site visit, but once we did, it quickly revealed the need for trees and the enthusiastic support offered by the school. It was determined that an alleé of 10 trees flanking the walkway to the school entrance would be the best location for the planting. However, we identified two declining trees on the property – a silver maple near the entrance on Spring Ave. and the other, a pin oak along the fence line that would eventually become problematic to remove once the new trees were planted.
Lauren told us about how Keeley employees fundraised in the past to support small projects they believed in. She had no doubt that employees could spend the latter part of the summer fundraising the cost of the tree removal and have it completed before the tree planting scheduled in October. To our amazement, when we arrived with 10 native trees on October 19th, both declining trees had been removed. Keeley’ns (Keeley Companies employees) had understood that the need was bigger than just the tree planting and rallied together to raise the funds. The tree planting was a success, becoming a hands-on educational moment for students at the Head Start School. That was in 2022, and it was just the beginning.
In the summer of 2023, Keeley employees created a watering rotation and spent every week onsite watering the 10 newly planted trees. A tree’s establishment period is the first two years after planting, which allows the root system to develop deep enough to find water during dry spells once human interaction is removed. Regular watering during the summer months for 2 years also increases the survivability rate from 75% to 95%. Tree experts can predict that a tree’s life is lengthened by 10-20 years with regular care during the first 2 summers after planting. Keeley’ns not only showed up to water but also organized a mulching day!
In spring of 2024, KeelyCares reported to us that one of the trees had died and worked with our forestry team to host a workday onsite to replant the tree and re-mulch the others. Throughout the summer of 2024, the watering rotations continued. The intentionality constructed and stewarded by #KeelyCares at this Head Start School will yield an impact, in more than just shade and beauty, for decades to come.
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Keeley Companies, headquartered in St. Louis, is comprised of Keeley Construction, Keeley Properties and Keeley Restoration. They are a customer-centric partner providing innovative solutions. Keeley Cares is their corporate philanthropic arm that engages and inspires Keeley’ns (Keeley Companies employees) to embrace community involvement by volunteering their time, talent, and treasure.
“Imagine the kids in your congregation growing up learning all the native plants in your area and how to take care of them, and being able to experience the divine in nature,” says Christopher Grundy.
Since 1999, the Ferguson Volunteer Flower Department has been caring for two gardens in downtown Ferguson.
With Forest ReLeaf’s help, Park Commissioner Peg Crockett is adding more trees to Hunter Park, giving the local community more opportunities for play and leisure.
I am Elijah Belz, the Field Operations Coordinator for Forest ReLeaf. I am a certified arborist and the primary person in the field for Forest ReLeaf, maintaining roughly 1000 trees planted in the St. Louis City, and maintaining our equipment our equipment used to maintain our trees! This job is a catch-all position that carries different responsibilities during the different seasons. Fall and spring are our planting, tree delivery, and inventory season; winter is our pruning, mulching, and planning season; summer is our watering season where we lead a crew of interns getting into the green industry.
My background is bicycle repair! I was in that industry for almost a decade, including running a bicycle repair shop, before taking a job with a tree planting organization in Atlanta. From there I moved to an edible landscape company. I became certified as an arborist while working at Forest ReLeaf this February! Trees rock, bikes are cool too.
De’Nonna Jones graduated from Knox College in 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies, driven by a commitment to environmental justice and community-based conservation. Since then, she has gained hands-on experience working across a range of green spaces throughout the St. Louis region, focusing on the care, restoration, and accessibility of urban natural areas. She began her journey at Tower Grove Park, where she developed a deep appreciation for public green spaces as vital community resources, before moving into a stewardship role with the Missouri Botanical Garden in partnership with Great Rivers Greenway. She now serves as the Stewardship Crew Coordinator at Forest ReLeaf. De’Nonna is passionate about creating inclusive pathways into environmental work and empowering tree lovers and emerging conservationists to see themselves as stewards of their communities. Through her work, she strives to strengthen connections between people, trees, and places in urban environments.
After 17 years in the non-profit and public sector, Jess remains committed to mission-driven work that tackles the challenges facing our communities. Their career began with a year of service as an Americorps St. Louis Emergency Response team member, responding to natural disasters and performing conservation projects. That foundation of service led to roles supporting the arts, affordable housing, mental health, and grassroots housing advocacy in St. Louis. During this journey Jess has worked to center the value “nothing about us, without us.” They do their best to ensure that the voices of people who have been marginalized guide the strategy and execution of work that honors their lived experiences. When they aren’t working, Jess is out paddling, hiking, working in their garden, or building something.
