Dear Friends,
It may be the time of the year when we lament the end of summer, but Fall presents a new opportunity for us to enjoy the outdoors. This is the best time of the year to set roots for plants, trees, flowers, and shrubs that we want to see bloom in our gardens in the coming years. As Zoroastrians, an important aspect of our identity is our oneness with nature, and Persian gardens, or “pardis”, since the time of Cyrus the Great, have embodied our physical connection with the world. Keeping with this tradition, let us take the opportunity to improve ZAC’s connection with nature by celebrating “ZAC Arbor Day” on Saturday, September 8th.
This Arbor Day event is an opportunity for families – parents, children, grandparents, cousins, uncles, aunts, and friends, to work together towards a common goal. Needless to say, this has the potential to strengthen friendships, deepen family connections, and help our younger generations see that as adults, we don’t only talk about being ecological scientists, but follow through on that promise with action. So please, let us come together on this day to plant, laugh, and grow!
Event: ZAC Arbor Day
Date: Saturday, September 8th
Time: 10:00am till work gets done.
RSVP: Persis Driver (email or 630-453-7837) or Zenobia Damania (email or 630-697-8947)
Nourishment: Tea, coffee, lunch, and snacks will be organized for all participants
Community service project details: Some planned planting projects we hope to complete include planting a long row of hedges to separate our ZAC property from the house next door, creating an inviting front entrance by planting large planters and smaller annuals, and planting larger trees (flowering, ornamental, evergreens, and other) in strategic locations around the ZAC. As you can see accomplishing this goal will require work and commitment of as many community members as possible.
Participation opportunities: You can be a part of this wonderful event in many different ways:
- Trees & Hedges: Help each other dig, turn the soil, place the trees in the allocated spots, and ensure a strong anchoring of the larger trees and hedges into the soil.
- Shrubs and Potted Plants: Help each other plant planters, smaller shrubs and bushes, and smaller flowering plants.
- Financial Contribution: Invest towards the cost of improving our communal property by contributing financially towards buying plants, soil, and supplies. Donations of $20, $50, $100 or any denomination would be much appreciated.
- Food: Help with providing food items to sustain our community members through the day – Please email or call Roshan Rivetna at 630-340-8272 if you would like to help on food.
Tools: Please bring gardening tools, especially large ones, such as shovels, spades, rakes etc. as these will be needed to get the work done. - Fundraising and sponsorship: Based on the input and constructive feedback from community members, a special part of this event will include the sponsoring of individual trees which we will be open to all community members. We have identified few spaces around ZAC where we have the potential to plant larger trees (eg. redbuds, birches, evergreens, etc.) that can be sponsored by individuals or groups. All proceeds from this sponsoring will go towards ZAC improvements in the future. There will also be an opportunity to place a plaque with the name of the sponsor or the honoree on the tree.
Please note: Within the next couple of days you will receive a follow-up email providing the details of the kinds of trees we can plant along with the amount of sponsorship and details on how to adopt a tree. This will be on a first-come-first-served basis as we have limited spots so please be on the lookout for the email if this seems like something you might want to be a part of.
We know that the love of planting runs deep among our members, young and old, and on this day we will need all hands on deck as there will be plenty to tasks to complete. ZAC provides us all with a space we can call our own; a space where we build relationships, forge friendships, learn and discover parts of who we are, entertain and socialize, and connect with others no matter how briefly or deeply. We hope you can all make it out on September 8th for this wonderful community service event that can instill a sense of pride in a job well deserved and well done as we strengthen this space for our future years.
To RSVP, please contact Persis Driver (email or 630-453-7836) or Zenobia Damania (email or 630-697-8947).
Thank you!