In the days following the Tucson shooting, Annie Loyd felt compelled to help Arizonans heal.
Through the FUSION Foundation, a Phoenix community group, Loyd and Jodi Powers, one of the foundation’s executive officers, created the Healing Trees humanitarian program.
Healing Trees is an organization that plants trees around the state in honor of those killed and injured in the Jan. 8 Tucson shooting. Other organizations and individuals have also joined in the effort to reach out.
“Frankly, I just started calling my friends and Jodi started calling her friends,” Loyd said. “From there, there was an outpour of the community.”
Loyd said members of the foundation knew this was something they had to do in order to help all of Arizona move forward.
She said she feels trees are a symbol of growth and strength and are the best fit for a memorial.
“Trees are the metaphor for life, for growing and thriving together,” Loyd said. “Because once you put one tree, two trees together, three trees together you grow a fort, right? So that’s the same with people.”
The Healing Trees humanitarian program started planting trees on Sunday and will continue planting trees across the state of Arizona until Nov. 11.
The first tree was planted at Creative Living Fellowship in Phoenix.
At the first tree planting, attendees listened to speakers, participated in breathing exercises and circled around and played drums during the ceremony.
Participants were given a piece of cloth to tie around their arms and sunglasses. During the tree planting, participants tied their cloth to the Ojibwa or mother drum, as well as scooped up dirt with their bare hands to help plant the tree.
Loyd said the mother drum will be brought to each tree-planting event to carry the spirits of each person who was at the first event.
The Healing Trees program also planted trees at Lowell Elementary and Crittenton Youth Academy in Phoenix, Red Rock High School in Sedona and the Cesar Chavez Center in Phoenix on Monday.
Loyd said she has seen the impact the tragedy had on students.
“Because of the 9-year-old that died, we saw that had a significant impact on school children,” Loyd said.
The death of 9-year-old Christina-Taylor Green impacted Powers as well.
“I really resonated with Christina-Taylor Green, the 9-year-old who passed away,” Powers said. “I identified with her on two levels. One, she was the only girl who played on the little league team, and two she was really interested in the governmental process.”
The Healing Trees program also plans to plant at the Arizona State Capitol.
The Arizona Community Tree Council, an organization that helps plant trees across Arizona, is also working with Healing Trees.
Heilee O’ Quinn, community development coordinator for the Arizona Community Tree Council, said she feels the Healing Trees program is a great way to bring the community together.
“I think trees in general have a very healing quality about them, and … what we do is put down roots and grow communities, and that’s our mission,” Quinn said.
Reach the reporter at shurst2@asu.edu
