CANOPY BLOG

A Fond Farewell to Natalia Schoorl

By Canopy Team on July 10, 2016

Canopy bids a fond farewell to Tree Care and Education Manager Natalia Schoorl

During her time at Canopy, Natalia has grown our classroom education lessons, Teen Urban Forester program, and tree care efforts into the nationally recognized and self-sustaining programs they are today. She had an incredible impact and will be deeply missed!

While we are sad to see her go, we are happy for her and excited to follow her next adventure. Here are a few parting words from our fantastic teammate:

Thank you, Canopy friends!

After four exciting and transformative years at Canopy, I will be moving on to a new position at the Peery Foundation.

In my time at Canopy, I helped plant and care for over 1,000 trees, and cared for many more. It’s amazing to watch a plant that you care for grow (and the trees are growing beautifully), but what stands out to me the most are the people I’ve met along the way.

What I’ll take with me

After 47 tree plantings, 295 tree care days, and 134 youth education events, this is what I’ll carry with me: 

• The excitement of 2nd graders as they observe an acorn or pine cone up-close for the first time and ask “Is it real?”;
• The pride of the Willow Oaks Junior Foresters as they carefully water the oak tree that they named Spike;
• The generosity of a family who gave me a bag of lemons and kumquats after we planted a tree together in front of their home;
• The resolve of volunteers working together to make mountainous piles of mulch disappear;
• And the dedication of generous individuals who spend their free time planting, teaching about, and advocating for trees.
• This awe of exploration and discovery, commitment to service, and desire to strengthen our sense of community is what I will take to my new role as Program Assistant at the Peery Foundation, where I’ll continue serving youth and families in the Bay Area and beyond.

Thank you to everyone who helps plant and care for the trees, and to all those who support this important work and advocate for more greenery in our cities.

Let’s keep planting together!

To me, planting trees together will always represent the best in humanity.

As Kahlil Gibran wrote, “Work is love made visible,” and planting trees is our work done with love, our hope for the future set in motion by the actions we take today.

Best wishes,

Natalia Schoorl