Northampton Rotary’s ‘Day of Service’ tree planting event returns April 18

The upcoming “Day of Service” on Saturday, April 18, will be Northampton Rotary’s fifth iteration of the tree planting event.
Photo credit: Rotary Club of Northampton.

NORTHAMPTON — The Rotary Club of Northampton is celebrating its annual Day of Service with another tree planting event.

This year’s event will take place Saturday, April 18, from 9 a.m. to noon at JFK Middle School.

As part of a Rotary International focus on protecting the environment, the Northampton Rotary Club has been working with the city’s DPW, Urban Forestry Commission, local non-profit Tree Northampton and the Northampton Public Schools for these Day of Service tree planting efforts. The groups are now prepping for the fifth annual event.

The Day of Service isn’t just limited to Rotarians; anyone interested in planting trees is invited to contact Day of Service Chair Barbara Devlin at bdevlinmn@gmail.com. To learn more about the Northampton Rotary Club, visit https://northamptonrotaryclub.org/. A rain date is set for Sunday, April 19.

“We are delighted that volunteers to date include Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra, City Council President and Ward 7 Councilor Rachel Maiore, Ward 2 Councilor Debra Klemer, Ward 1 School Committee member Alena Bartoli, At-Large School Committee member Robbie Saner Sullivan, and Chief of Police John Cartledge, along with Rotary members and other student, parent and community volunteers,” said Devlin.

Since starting this concerted effort around tree plantings in the city, Tree Northampton and the Rotary Club have planted 30-40 trees during each annual Day of Service, including stops at Ryan Road School, Jackson Street Elementary School and JFK Middle School. This year’s planting will bring the total trees planted at Northampton schools during the five-year run to 150-200.

“Thank you to the Northampton Rotary for your interest in protecting the environment through a partnership with the city. We are thankful for Rotary’s help planting trees at JFK Middle School, three elementary schools, and two residential areas over the past four years and are very excited to be working with the club again in 2026,” said Susan Lofthouse, vice chair of the Urban Forestry Commission. “The additional trees on the grounds of JFK Middle School will benefit the students and staff for decades to come.”

Northampton Rotary Club Treasurer Julee Clement told Reminder Publishing that the club has partnered with the city to plant trees at its schools, and the efforts have yielded positive results in terms of more tree shading at schools, better protection of the environment and exceptional community turnout at each event. Clement said they are returning to JFK Middle School this year to provide more trees to the school’s property.

“That first year at Jackson Street, that was a huge part of what the kids said around the playground, that it was too hot, and so they were really appreciative that it was going to bring more shade. In addition to that, it’s also to help the environment,” said Clement. “Getting more trees is Tree Northampton’s objective, so we accomplish both, but for the kids, it really is about the shade for them, and so they’re happy to help and happy to do it.”

Clement said that the Rotary, Tree Northampton, and the schools help identify the need for trees across the schools. After that, the Rotary Club connects with the city’s school communities and educates the public about its mission. The tree planting events are a part of that mission.

“We do it in cooperation with the schools. We put out a release through the school to get students and parents to help. Each year, that’s been really successful. We’ve been at the Ryan Road school, we’ve been at Jackson Street, and a lot of the students and their parents came out, which is really nice because they take a lot of pride in that they attend there. We’re able to get a lot of help, too,” said Clement. “It’s always fun. The first year, we were at Jackson Street, and I’ve gone by there by myself since and looked at the tree I planted, and I think that’s part of this whole idea, that you feel kind of great when you go back and see a tree five years later doing really well.”

Clement said an event like this is a good reminder of the importance of a collaborative community, adding, “it’s just one hand helping the other.”

“The more we get the word out about what Rotary does and what we do, whether it’s helping the community or helping students, an event like this, tree planting, actually sort of entwines us back with the schools to get the word out about Rotary,” added Clement. “Our club is actually going to be 100 years old next year, but there’s a lot of people who don’t know what Rotary is or what Rotary does. We get asked that question all the time, even though we try to tell people what we do. We’re a service organization, and specifically in Northampton, our mission is to help youth and seniors.”

Clement said that those looking to learn more about the Northampton Rotary Club or to get involved can visit https://northamptonrotaryclub.org. Monetary contributions to support the tree planting project may be directed to the Northampton Rotary Foundation Inc., PO Box 505, Northampton, MA 01061.

“You don’t have to have any experience planting trees. It’s not a heavy lift. We have teams that plant the trees. There are shovels; they bring in other supplies for us,” said Clement. “It’s just a matter of kind of showing up that day and helping, but it’s not a heavy lift for anybody to do. Even the kids get into the shoveling; they think it’s fun. Many hands make light work.”