The Garden Club of Orange and Dutchess Counties will join students from Newburgh Free Academy West Campus together on Thursday, October 19 in Downing Park for Root for Trees! This program, created by the Garden Club, has seen success with students from San Miguel Academy last year. This will be a first time collaborative effort with students from Newburgh Free Academy West Campus.

The Root for Trees! program, as per the Garden Club of America website, is an experiential, year-round educational program that immerses local students in an urban park setting and teaches tree and plant care, the importance of public green spaces and educates students on environmental job opportunities.

Since 2021, the Garden Club has collaborated with The City of Newburgh, The Downing Park Conservancy, The Downing Park Urban Farm, San Miguel Academy, The Olmsted Network and now NFA West students and teachers. In the past three years, our Garden Club has secured $31,000 in grant money for Downing Park and countless hours of volunteer time.

The October 19th event will have NFA West students planting bulbs that will bloom in the spring. Students will be receiving personal tool kits and field notebooks that will carry them through the year, as they work together in Downing Park. The event will kick off at 12:15 p.m. that afternoon.