It usually takes a major tragedy for these things to come about, but not too many cities do this. I just felt it was needed.

Anytime you lose a tree, it's almost like you're losing a family member in your yard.

I've never had a bug problem before the pine beetle problem on my trees.

This tremendous show of support for improving the community is a tribute to the unconditional caring of our young people. It is heartening to me, our staff, our sponsors and all of our partners and volunteers to see the wonderful efforts of this next generation of leaders.

We're pretty excited. He brings a proven track record at this level, which was key for us.

It's an absolutely phenomenal day. To see this many youth using their caring power … to go out and help others really gives me a great feeling about this community.