For Isabel Deslauriers, planting a tree is a symbol of hope, and she would like people to join her in sharing that hope.
“I think everybody has to do what they can right now,” said Deslauriers, during an interview about her Trees for Hope project.
Deslauriers set up a booth during the recent May Fest in Vankleek Hill over the mid-May weekend to explain and promote her project. The one-page pamphlet she handed out to passersby stated “To plant a tree is to believe in tomorrow.”
She hopes her project will help encourage optimism that the future will be better even if the world today seems bleak with all the strife and troubles.
Deslauriers began her project in response to her own concerns about the high-speed passenger rail project proposed to link Toronto with Ottawa, Montréal, Québec City and several points in between. Thinking about all the unknowns that remain about the eventual route for the project and whether it might affect her community left her “very worried” and she thought about how she could deal with her worry.
Trees for Hope grew out of her worry. Planting a tree, she said, is a way that she and everyone can express their belief that things will be better tomorrow. The same way the rainbow became the symbol of hope for many during the COVID-19 along with the slogan “Ça va bien aller”, “It’s going to be okay”.
Any type of tree is fine, Deslauriers said. Evergreens, maples, fruit trees, as long as people take the time to plant even a single tree. Planting trees and caring for them can serve as a means to cope with stress.
“This year, as you plant a tree,” she stated, “see it as a symbol of our collective hope for a promising future for our region. Let these trees represent resilience and solidarity for those who are worried about losing their land.”
Deslauriers also encourages anyone in the community dealing with stress or other mental health issues to take advantage of telephone call services like 988, or the ConnexOntario help line at 1-866-531-2600, or the Farmer Wellness Initiative 24-hour call line at 1-866-267-6255.
