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P. Allen Smith Rides in the Tour des Trees
KSBW News Coverage |
NEWS RELEASE May 9, 2008 Cyclists from all over the North America and beyond are gearing up for the 2008 Tree Research & Education Endowment Fund (TREE Fund) Tour des Trees. They will be riding to share the message of proper tree care during their 500-plus-mile bike ride through Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri, raising public awareness along the way to support healthy community forests and urban trees. The TREE Fund Tour des Trees (www.tourdestrees.org) is America’s largest fundraising event to improve the care of trees through research and education, raising over $3 million since it began in 1992. Each rider raises a minimum of $3,500 to participate in the full tour. Every mile the cyclists ride raises revenue to benefit the TREE Fund and supports The six-day TREE Fund Tour des Trees starts Monday, July 21st in Indianapolis, IN with a lap around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home of the Indy 500 race. Then it’s off to Bloomington where the cyclists will complete their day with a lap around the Little 500 track made famous in the movie “Breaking Away”. From there they will travel through southwestern Indiana with stops scheduled in Vincennes and New Harmony. The participants will continue on to Carbondale, IL and complete their trek at the International Society of Arboriculture’s Annual Conference in St. Louis, MO on Saturday, July 26th. Janet Bornancin, Executive Director for the TREE Fund, explains that, “The Tour des Trees raises much needed funds for tree care research. Our unique focus on urban tree research makes us relevant to just about everyone since 80% of the U.S. population lives in urban centers. Research has shown that healthy mature trees significantly improve air quality, reduce energy consumption, encourage wildlife and improve our quality of life. But research is still needed to find better ways to maintain mature urban trees as well as newly planted ones, and prevent damage from pests and diseases.” For 17 years the TREE Fund has brought riders of all ages and abilities together for a common cause: to raise money for tree research and to educate the public. Jim Zwack, a four-Tour veteran and member of the TREE Fund Board, describes the Tour ‘vibe’ in this way: “The Tour des Trees is a perfect complement to the work of the TREE Fund. We raise money and awareness for the benefit of trees and the importance of tree research by using efficient, non-polluting vehicles. I am sure the vibrancy of the Tour and camaraderie among the riders comes at least in part from this harmony. The Tour is a special week for everyone involved.” Major sponsors for the 2008 TREE Fund Tour des Trees include the national corporations of Asplundh Tree Expert Co., Duke Energy, STIHL Inc., and the F.A. Bartlett Tree Expert Company. Regional sponsors include Wright Tree Service headquartered in Iowa. The TREE Fund’s mission is to identify and fund projects and programs that advance knowledge in the field of arboriculture and urban forestry to benefit people, trees, and the environment. The TREE Fund has supported research that has led to developments in: • Understanding air pollution reduction and carbon sequestration by trees As a non-profit, non-government organization, the TREE Fund relies on donations from the public to fund its educational activities, research grants and scholarships. Taxdeductible donations can be mailed to the TREE Fund, 711 E. Roosevelt Road, Wheaton, Illinois 60187 or made online at www.treefund.org where you can also find more information about the organization. To make a donation on behalf of a rider, please visit www.tourdestrees.org or contact the TREE Fund office at the address listed above. ### Event stops for the 2008 TREE Fund Tour des Trees:
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| photos courtesy of Alvin Gilens | Web design by QDesign |