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Trees
for Teens "OK, everybody, it's time to gather in a circle!" The hundred people milling about in front of the dining hall started moving. Teens — some with purple or fire-engine red hair — herded fraternity guys and sorority women, environmental studies majors and community members into shape. At 10:20 on a Saturday morning, the fourth LEAD Plant-a-Thon at Camp Harlow was about to begin.
Becca Purkey, a 14-year-old from Junction City High School, was a teen leader for the day. She spoke slowly and loudly: "OK, say your name, share what you're excited about, and LEAD people, share your life assignments." LEAD, which stands for Leadership, Adventure, Education and Direction, is a non-profit organization for low-income teens. Begun in 1998 as a partnership with the city of Eugene, LEAD now serves 34 teens directly and aspires to help many more with a proposed teen center, preferably downtown. The youth who come for family dinners and outdoor adventures — not to mention City Council meetings — commit to school and to their "life assignments." "My life assignment is to build fun bikes," said one teen. Or "to make classrooms more humane for young people," said another. Adults added, "to facilitate heart connections" and "to teach men how to share their feelings." In the short term, however, everyone's assignment was the same: to plant trees and raise money. According to Molly Gordon, LEAD intern and junior in the UO's Family and Human Services program, the monetary goal was around $5,000. Plant-a-Thon participants collected flat amounts of money for every tree they planted from sponsoring friends and family. And many saplings awaited a place in the cold ground. "We have 2,100 trees, and the temperature is right around freezing," said LEAD founder and executive director Maj Rafferty, urging everyone to stay warm. Some of the LEAD teens wore sleek gear donated by SportHill, a Eugene-based outdoor clothing company. Weyerhaeuser, Roseburg Forest Products, and several nurseries donated trees, and FOOD for Lane County provided lunch. Two Weyerhaeuser representatives trained everyone on keeping saplings alive between tree bag and soil, and LEAD teens paired off with community members. Half the participants headed up the road; half hiked to what Colin Halstead, Camp Harlow guest services director, called "the back 40." Rafferty and Gordon were both awed. Three previous Plant-a-Thons each attracted 30 people; Saturday almost quadrupled that number, thanks to Gordon's UO connections. Jessica Spaulding, a young woman from Cascade Middle School, surveyed the field. She loved planting trees because, she said, they were "making the camp a better place for animals." Caleb Pruzynski, a 13-year-old LEAD board member and teen center co-coordinator, planted quickly and efficiently. He began to warm up and took off his hat. Caleb raised the most money last year, but he was excited this year about funding the teen center. For Will Ross, Caleb's classmate at the Network Charter School, the teen center was also fueling his shovel. "There's a big problem in Eugene with teens on the street, doing drugs and being homeless," he said, speculating that a teen center would help with downtown "street kid" issues. Will found a grub and carefully placed it back in the ground. By 1 pm, only 350 trees remained. Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy showed up to help. Piercy was impressed that the teens were "getting their voices heard and helping their community." Rafferty noted that trees planted a few years ago were as tall as she is — about 5'8". "As the young people grow up, the trees grow," she said. "These are teens who will make positive change in the world."
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