The Wakefield Rotary Club will be honoring the 150th anniversary of Arbor Day, recognized annually on the last day of April, with a free raffle to win a tree valued at $300 in support of the Town of Wakefield’s CommuniTREE Program. Wakefield Rotary and the Beebe library will have an Arbor Day display with the raffle tickets from April 15th to May 1st. Community members may visit the library during regular hours and register to win. The drawing for the tree is April 29th at the library. This year also marks the club’s 100th year of service to Wakefield and the global communities. Project Chair Gene Mullen noted, “This project falls right in alignment with our club’s 100th anniversary as it fits one of our seven areas of focus.” In addition to the raffle, the Rotary Club will contribute another $300 to the CommuniTREE Program to sponsor a new tree planting on the Beebe Library grounds.
Rotary and The Environment
In 2017, Rotary International President Ian Riseley added “supporting the environment” to its 7 Areas of Focus. Previously, Rotary’s 6 Areas of Focus aimed at humanitarian efforts alone. That year, Risely challenged Rotarians to plant one new tree for each Rotarian in the club. The challenge was intended to combat global warming and beautify local communities. That year, Australian native Riseley explained, “Environmental degradation and global climate change are serious threats to everyone. They are having a disproportionate impact on those who are most vulnerable, those to whom Rotary has the greatest responsibility. Yet environmental issues rarely register on the Rotary agenda.” He added, “I was keen to give Rotarians an incentive and the opportunity to show their concern for the environment.” That year, Rotary Clubs in the local Greater Boston district provided trees at no cost to residents.