Denver Thanks SGI-USA for Cherry Trees

Denver December 13, 1995

For the second time, SGI-USA members in Colorado were recognized for their efforts in planting cherry trees along the banks of Cherry Creek and in various parks around Denver. A special reception was held tonight at the beautifully decorated and historic Waring Mansion, a part of the Denver Botanic Gardens, to honor all the Denver urban forest.

Maureen Van Norden, a Denver Forestry and Parks Department official, congratulated those in attendance. She announced that the SGI-USA has committed itself to planting 1,000 cherry trees in Denver by 2001. “This group has been dedicating themselves to this effort for the last six years", she told the audience. Accepting the congratulatory letter was Jack Cope, the Cherry Tree Committee chairman.

Most people who live in a city take the trees there for granted. But this is not so in Denver. People here have learned how to “hug a tree,” or truly appreciate trees, as B.J. Brooks of Denver Parks and Recreation puts it. She went on to relate a story about a snowstorm that caused considerable damage in early September. Ms. Brooks said she was amazed at how united and dedicated the people in Denver were to cleaning up the damage and caring for the trees. “We can never say enough thanks to all of you,” she said.

The united effort of SGI-USA members to plant trees has grown over the last six years. More members come out every year to help plant the trees, which have become known as the Ikeda Cherry Trees. They have been planted annually on March 16, Rocky Mountain Joint Territory Day, since the program’s inception in 1989.

Although the “quiet storm,” as Ms. Brooks called it, did considerable damage to the larger trees in the city, the sturdy little cherry trees held up faithfully, giving Denver a sense of hope, harmony and peace for the future. In the same spirit the members continue to overcome their own obstacles, knowing that “winter will always turn to spring.”

World Tribune article by Irlene Owada