Ben Hensley<\/a><\/p>\nMore than 40 years ago, a seed was planted.<\/p>\n
\nToday, that seed stands tall \u2014 and its leaders are laying the financial groundwork to make sure it keeps growing.<\/p>\n
\nIn 1985, a one-off fundraising effort transformed into what is now known as Tree Fresno, a local nonprofit that, for four decades, has pushed to expand the urban tree canopy across Fresno County and the greater Central Valley. As the organization celebrates its 40th anniversary, leaders are preparing to publicly unveil a new endowment meant to sustain the nonprofit\u2019s work for years to come.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThe founding was interesting because we didn\u2019t really have in mind founding an organization,\u201d said John Valentino, Tree Fresno\u2019s secretary and one of its longtime board members. \u201cI think the concept was originally Roger Rocka\u2019s idea\u2026that instead of just talking about it and celebrating ourselves as a city, why don\u2019t we do something that could really improve the city.\u201d<\/p>\n
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A telethon and a threat<\/p>\n
\nValentino said the idea came together during Fresno\u2019s 100-year celebration when organizers partnered with KSEE 24 for a two-hour fundraising telethon. The event preempted \u201cThe Golden Girls,\u201d he noted, and drew enough support to change the group\u2019s plans.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWe raised about $28,000 in two hours,\u201d Valentino said. \u201cAnd everyone was pleased with that, and we thought maybe there\u2019s a constituency for a permanent organization of people that support the concept of improving our city by tree planting.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nThe telethon, which raised the equivalent of over $84,000 when accounting for inflation, is why some supporters associate the group\u2019s beginnings with 1985; though its official incorporation wasn\u2019t until the following year, Tree Fresno \u2014 then known as Fresno Tree People \u2014 firmly planted its roots in the Valley.<\/p>\n
\nAfter operating under that name for several years, the group changed its name after hearing from a Los Angeles organization with a similar name.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThey sent us a letter,\u201d Valentino said. \u201cA polite letter, but it said if you don\u2019t change your name, we\u2019ll sue you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nThat prompted the 1989 transition to Tree Fresno, a name the nonprofit has carried ever since.<\/p>\n
\nIn those early years, Valentino said the organization had no paid staff and was instead powered by volunteers, many of them tied to the landscape industry and united by a common belief that Fresno could be improved through the planting of trees. Eventually, the nonprofit hired a small staff to organize events, turning ideas into more consistent action.<\/p>\n
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Roots that held<\/p>\n
\nSome of the nonprofit\u2019s earliest signature projects are still visible today.<\/p>\n
\nValentino pointed to the McKinley Avenue canal planting as one of the group\u2019s first major efforts, aiming to create a greener entrance near the Fresno airport. They also reintroduced tree foliage to the Blackstone Avenue median, bringing trees and landscaping to one of the city\u2019s most prominent commercial thoroughfares.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWe planted the median island on Blackstone,\u201d Valentino said. \u201cA lot of those trees are still there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nFor CEO Mona Cummings, those long-standing plantings are part of the continued draw for involvement in the organization\u2019s mission. The visible legacy, she said, provides residents with something tangible to connect with over time.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cI hear the stories \u2014 \u2018Oh, we planted trees 25 years ago, 30 years ago, and here they are today,’\u201d Cummings said. \u201cAnd I think that\u2019s what inspires people to want to get involved in tree planting.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Growing the canopy<\/p>\n
\nToday, the nonprofit\u2019s work extends well beyond the city limits. Cummings said the nonprofit works with 24 cities throughout the Central San Joaquin Valley, and more than 30 school districts and agencies \u2014 a footprint, she noted, that has grown considerably as the organization has deepened its partnerships over the past decade.<\/p>\n
\nMuch of its recent planting work has focused on areas hardest hit by poor air quality and extreme heat, often through state-supported grants targeted to disadvantaged communities.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThat means targeting areas that are most impacted by air pollution or heat,\u201d Cummings said.<\/p>\n
\nCummings said Tree Fresno has also worked to broaden its business partnerships. Businesses, she said, often play a key role as long-term stewards because they come pre-equipped to maintain areas on their properties. Even with that expanding reach, the nonprofit remains lean.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWe have only two full-time people,\u201d Cummings said. \u201cBut we get things done through the partnerships, through the volunteer engagement, through the board directors.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\nBuilding for tomorrow<\/p>\n
\nThat lean structure is precisely why Tree Fresno\u2019s new endowment matters.<\/p>\n
\nCummings said the organization has been quietly building the fund over the last several years, hoping to formally introduce it to the public during the organization\u2019s 40th anniversary celebration on April 25 at Simonian Farms. The nonprofit has already grown the fund to roughly $200,000, with the goal of eventually raising upwards of $1.5 to $2 million.<\/p>\n
\nThe anniversary dinner hopes to raise funds for the future of the nonprofit. Featuring a special dinner and 80s themed celebration, the event offers limited seating, but aims to bring together community members, supporters, partners and friends to celebrate the nonprofit\u2019s achievements over its 40 years.<\/p>\n
\nThe aim, she said, is to create a financial foundation capable of supporting the organization even if public grant funding becomes less reliable.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cBill Lyles told me that the only way you can get people to donate to your endowment fund is if you have one,\u201d Valentino said.<\/p>\n
\nThe anniversary celebration will cap off a busy spring that also includes Earth Day and Arbor Day events, volunteer plantings and a 5K run and walk connected to the organization\u2019s outreach.<\/p>\n
\nFor leaders, the 40-year milestone is less about looking back and more about recommitting to work they believe remains unfinished.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWe thought it could be transformational for the city,\u201d Valentino said. \u201cAnd it really hasn\u2019t been as transformational as I would have hoped at that time. But that\u2019s \u2014 that can still be our goal.\u201d<\/p>\n
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