KVREMC’s Darrell Marks talked about tree planting and electrical safety during the cooperative’s Arbor Day program.

In honor of Arbor Day last month, Kankakee Valley REMC took to local fourth grade classrooms with a mission of handing out trees and educating students on proper tree planting and safety when digging. Planting trees is a simple, inexpensive and easy way to improve the community.

“Planting trees in the local communities is so important for beautification and for environmental improvement. The cooperative supports Arbor Day and our tree handout program because it shows our support of the community, educating our youth and care for the environment,” stated Amanda Steeb, director of marketing and communications for Kankakee Valley REMC.

The Arbor Day program, sponsored by KVREMC, goes far beyond handing out a tree. Just as important as receiving a tree is the safety behind its planting. As part of the cooperative’s program, Darrell Marks, energy advisor and lineman for the cooperative, educated the students on the steps to planting a tree away from overhead power lines and calling 811 before doing any digging project.

“It is our hope that the students will go home and share the lessons they learned during our presentation with their parents. We all need to be reminded of the dangers lurking in the ground that we can’t see,” stated Steeb.

In the six years of organizing this program, Kankakee Valley REMC has given away over 5,000 trees to area students. This year’s tree handout included 800 trees in 10 area schools. Through the cooperative’s sponsorship of the program, the trees are free to the students and the schools.