(2004 Sanctuary Woods Fund) – In 2004, The Guelph Community Foundation’s Sanctuary Woods Fund granted $1,350 to Fred A. Hamilton Public School and $1,350 to Jean Little Public School for the purchase of trees.
Many schools, particularly in new subdivisions have very little [if any] trees on the property and sun exposure during two 15 minute recess breaks and a 45 minute lunch can be excruciating during the hot summers that we tend to have these days. Since 80% of one’s sun exposure happens before the age of 18, shade is a huge concern.
Dr. Archie MacKinnon, who spearheaded this project, celebrated the success of the ‘Save the Trees’ project by planting trees on two school properties to extend the Sanctuary Woods beyond its present location. Both schools were extensively involved in the process and accepted a very generous offer from the University of Guelph surplus trees from a research plot at the Turfgrass Institute. Ten mature trees were donated by the University and a grant of $2,700, from The Guelph Community Foundation was used for the removal of the trees from the Turfgrass Institute and the replanting of the trees in the school yard.
Thank you to the 17 donors and residents of Guelph who contributed amounts from $10 to $1200, and to the University of Guelph for this outstanding community initiative. A great example of how a project leveraged its resources to extend the value of their dollar!