Mark Cassini
Photo Courtesy of Community Greening
A group of local teens is rolling up their sleeves, digging into the soil and making a lasting impact — while getting paid to do it. Thanks to Community Greening’s Youth Tree Team, students ages 14 to 19, primarily from Title 1 high schools in Boca Raton and Delray Beach, are not only planting trees but also shaping a greener future for their communities.
The urban forestry 501(c)3 nonprofit, with offices in Boca Raton, has brought together 18 teens (for seven hours a week during the school year and 20 hours a week during the summer) to participate in Youth Tree Team’s initiative to plant and maintain trees and green spaces. The countywide program also encompasses community outreach, trips to parks and natural areas and life skills coaching.
Executive Director Mark Cassini and Matt Shipley co-founded Community Greening in 2016 in a collective effort to improve the environment for both people and nature. In 2018, they expanded their efforts to launching Youth Tree Team, encouraging young people to take an active role in increasing the tree canopy.
“This is our seventh year with the Youth Tree Team,” says Cassini, 45, an Indiana native who lives with his family in Delray Beach. He notes that some volunteers go on to landscape careers after high school, including Ford Derastel, who now works full-time at Community Greening and is pursuing certification as an arborist. “We’re investing in tomorrow’s leaders.”
His inspiration to create Community Greening came from those with similar mindsets.
“A mix of community leaders, politicians and residents were concerned about the loss of shade trees and green space. We modeled ourselves after other communities and engaged the area to plant more trees.”
A $30,000 Bank of America grant — along with funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Florida Forest Service — supports salaries and activities for members of the Youth Tree Team.
“We give donors private tours and every year have an Annual Ambassador Campaign,” Cassini says. “All our events [like Tree Nursery Volunteer Days and Tree Giveaways] are family-friendly.”
In celebration of Earth Day, held annually on April 22, Community Greening will be giving away 150 trees countywide and planting 40 trees at Spanish River Park.
“I’m pretty fortunate to be doing something I love that also has a positive impact on the community,” Cassini reflects. “Looking ahead, I’d like to expand throughout Palm Beach County and offer our program to everyone. It would be nice to live in communities that have a 30% to 40% tree canopy.”
For more information or to support the Community Greening’s Youth Tree Team, call 561‑927-8733 or visit communitygreening.org.