Kewanee’s parks are the city’s “crown jewel,” but that source of community pride was tarnished when tornadoes ripped through town on July 15. Andrew Dwyer, executive director of the Kewanee Park District, who is still assessing the far-flung damage to the district’s four major parks, estimates at least 300 trees were toppled or damaged and will have to be replaced including 30 to 35 trees in Windmont Park, the hardest hit.
Dwyer said, looking at the damage districtwide, he believes three tornadoes hit Kewanee on July 15, rather than the two identified by the National Weather Service. With the addition to around 200 trees lost in a storm last spring in the parks, the park district faces the task of replacing a total of up to 500 trees in Windmont, Chautauqua, Baker and Northeast Parks.
Hoping to help, the Student Council and FFA Chapter at Wethersfield High School started a fundraising campaign in early August to put at least a few trees back in the parks.
“After the July storm I saw many comments on social media and heard in person and saw the damage myself to Windmont Park which I often visit walking my dog,” said Student Council Sponsor Tricia Lay.
School hadn’t started yet but in discussing the damage with her Student Council officers, especially the loss of so many trees which are important to our environment, they came up with the idea of planning a fundraiser to help plant some new trees in the parks.
Lay contacted ag teacher Kate Rashid since her students are involved in an ongoing project to replant trees lost over the years on the Wethersfield campus, and the FFA chapter agreed to co-sponsor the fundraiser.
Lay met with Principal Tyler Nichols and contacted the Kewanee parks director, with both supporting the idea. Nichols and Lay decided that $30 for each student was a good goal which added up to an overall goal of $2,000.
Dwyer and Lay decided that the mature trees that they would want to purchase to ensure they would last long term, would cost from $500 to $700 each, depending on the species, including planting and watering.
“We felt that $2,000 would help plant at least three or four good trees that would last a long time. We then sent out messages before school started and organized fundraisers with a deadline of Aug.30,” said Lay.
“I really wanted our Student Council and FFA members to understand the importance of helping our community and I thought this would be a great way for them to actually see the trees they planted well after they graduate and possibly when they move on and come home for holidays, etc.” she said.
Nathan and Lisa Rashid made the first donation to the students for picking up trash in a vacant lot. The Daily Fix created a new drink called “Titan” tea honoring the Annawan-Wethersfield football team, and donated $3 from each drink purchased between Aug. 21-23 to the fundraiser.
A group of students and parents worked at the concession stand on Aug. 23 at the Titans/Sherrard football scrimmage along with a bake sale that night. Bake sales were also scheduled for Aug. 24 in front of Community State Bank and on Aug, 25 at a La Gondola spaghetti fundraiser. Some students also chose just to ask family and friends to give a donation to meet their $30 individual goal, according to Lay.
Arrangements may be made to make a donation by contacting Lay at tlay@geese230.com or Rashid at krashid@geese230.com before Aug. 30.
Dwyer said that by partnering with the City of Kewanee on a grant, they have begun the massive task of planting new trees in the parks, a job which he said will continue this fall and next spring.
Lay said that at some point in the future, with the park district’s cooperation, they would like to dedicate a marker, or something similar that will show that at least one specific tree was donated by the 2024-2025 WHS Student Council and FFA to help restore the magnificent foliage for which Kewanee parks are so well known.
