Local school gets Home Run for Trees special delivery by Phanatic, PHS and Asplundh
On Monday, June 2, the Phillie Phanatic showed off his green thumb to 300 students at Emlen Elementary School, who had a fun morning as they received a special delivery of eight trees for their school yard from the Philadelphia Phillies, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) and Asplundh.
The event, emceed by Phillies Ambassador Scott Palmer, is thanks to the school’s third grade teacher, Ms. Heidi Fabian, who won the Phillies Home Run for Trees essay contest last season.
During the tree delivery, Ms. Fabian as honored as an MVP of trees by her entire school, where she was presented with a Phillies jersey by 1980 World Series champion Dickie Noles.
Students and teachers also received a lesson in tree planting and caring by PHS Trees Field Operations Manager Dana Dentice, as part of PHS’s Tree Tenders education program, a key component of PHS’s far-reaching neighborhood greening initiatives.
Kids then celebrated their greener school yard with a ceremonial tree planting, with the final tree being delivered by the Phillie Phanatic.
The special event was part of the Phillies Home Runs for Trees program, presented by Asplundh and a partnership with PHS, which is now in its 14th season. For each home run hit by a Phillies player during the season, a tree will be planted in Philadelphia or the Greater Philadelphia area. Over 2,200 trees have been planted through Home Runs for Trees. The initiative is part of PHS’s effort to help increase the region’s tree count and promote healthier, greener neighborhoods.
