Posted by Sharon Schendel on Nov 05, 2017
Jan Nelte (left) and Linda Shaw (right) are co-chairs of the Village Garden Club of La Jolla's Jacaranda Tree Project
Village Garden Club of La Jolla members planting a new Jacaranda tree (Photo credit:  La Jolla Light)
 
At the seminar for incoming District Governors held in San Diego in January 2017, Rotary International President Ian Riseley challenged each one of the more than 1.2 million Rotarians to plant one tree between July 1 and Earth Day, April 22, 2018.  Riseley outlined his belief that: “the greater result [of the tree planting] will be a Rotary that recognizes our responsibility not only to the people on our planet, but to the planet itself.”
 
President Klaus Gubernator invited Jan Nelte (wife of former President Eric Nelte) and Linda Shaw from the La Jolla Village Garden Club to speak about how the committee they co-chair, the Jacaranda Tree Project, could help us meet President Riseley’s challenge and also beautify public spaces in San Diego. The Project began in 1986, and since its founding has planted more than 2,200 Jacaranda trees, which the San Diego City Council named the “Official Tree of San Diego”, across San Diego county.  Sites that received trees include Miramar National Cemetery, the waterfront esplanade on Harbor Drive, the La Jolla YMCA, Horton Plaza Park, and the downtown Central Library.  In Balboa Park, the club cooperated with the Balboa Park Conservancy to plant 21 trees around Morley Field
 
The Club uses donations made to the Jacaranda Tree Project in their entirety toward the purchase and planting of trees. All donations are tax-deductible. Donations of $50 or more can be designated to honor the memory of loved one, recognize a special person, commemorate an event, or, for Rotarians, help reach the goal of 1.2 million newly planted trees.  No individual tree is designated for specific individual, but rather the Club recognizes all who donated at a special annual dedication ceremony. Download the donation form and follow the instructions to make a donation.