Trees for Peace plants seeds of friendship, diversity

A local Winter Park event in its 15th year has a simple purpose: to bring us closer together, no matter what faith or religion we believe in.

More than 40 young students from three different faith backgrounds will have a chance to bond while supporting the environment at the upcoming Trees for Peace event. Fifth- and sixth-graders from The Geneva School (a Christian school), the Jewish Academy of Orlando (a Jewish school) and Leaders Preparatory School (a Muslim school) will come together to plant seven trees Tuesday, March 27, at Howell Branch Preserve.

The event is a collaboration between the city of Winter Park and the Multifaith Education Project – a nonprofit program that looks to bring students of different faiths together so they can get to know each other.

“The city of Winter Park is known for its tree canopy, so this is an amazing partnership that we have where these children come to our parks and our public spaces and plant trees with two missions,” Winter Park Assistant Director of Communications Craig O’Neil said. “The first one is to get to know each other better, which fosters a respect for diversity, and the second mission is to plant beautiful trees that will be there for generations to come.”

The students divide into mixed groups and work together to plant and water the trees. They then each offer a prayer in their faith tradition to bless the tree.

Each school will also take a tree back to their campus to plant, a reminder of the celebration and the bond shared between the students.

The Multifaith Education Project was first started back in 2003 by Louise Franklin Sheehy. Since then the program has worked to bring the three local schools together three times a year so they can make friends and learn about each faith.

“We have somebody (who) speaks specifically about the faith, explains it to the children and lets them ask questions to better understand,” said Debra Medina, director of the Multifaith Education Project, who works alongside co-director Anne Vercheski. “The Trees for Peace are kind of like a final celebration with the city.”

The idea for the Trees for Peace event was inspired by the work of Olive Trees Foundation for Peace president and founder Dr. Khaled Diab, who took students of different faiths to Israel to plant olive trees along the Israeli West Bank barrier, which separates Israelis and Palestinians.

Louise Franklin Sheehy noticed this concept and decided to bring it to a local level, said O’Neil, adding that it promotes environmental awareness as well.

“The city is also excited that this is an opportunity to teach the children to be stewards of the earth and how important it is to plant our trees and protect our trees because they create such a healthy environment,” O’Neil said.

“Regardless of our differences and our faith background, I think when we learn to respect those differences and learn more about each other, then that’s what fosters stronger relationships and friendships. One of the things we have in common of course is the beautiful tree canopy and protecting our earth. We all need to do that.”

Just like the students learn to nurture and care for the trees, they learn to care for each other, Medina said.

“This isn’t about politics, this isn’t about anything but coming together and realizing that we’re more alike than we are different,” Medina said.