Each Friday, the another jennifer blog shares stories of those who incorporate philanthropy into their everyday lives – personally and professionally – in a creative and unique way. If you have a story you’d like to share, please contact Jennifer. You can view past posts from the series here.

“Our mission at Trees for a Change is to provide thoughtful, meaningful gifts that live on to restore devastated forest land.”

Trees for a Change is an organization that dedicates trees as gifts in U.S. National Forests that have been destroyed by wildfire.
The company was founded about six years ago when Kim Isley became sick of all the “stuff” that was being promoted as gifts around the holidays. Kim wanted to do something that focused on making things better, not just producing more products that would eventually end up in a landfill.
Kim, founder and “tree lover-in-chief” at Trees for a Change, had read over and over again that planting a tree is one of the best things you can do for the planet.
Kim started Trees for a Change as a way for people to change the way they think about giving gifts. You can read more of Kim’s story and the company’s values here.
Trees for a Change plants trees for many occasions, including birthdays, weddings, holidays, fundraisers and even pet memorials. In fact, as Kim and I exchanged emails about her company, she read my post about saying goodbye to Kona and offered to plant a tree in his name.
When you purchase a tree as a gift for someone, a certificate is created with his or her name on it. You can even find your tree on the website and see where it was planted and how it will help the environment. They work directly with the U.S. National Forest Service to plant the trees.

Kona’s tree, a longleaf pine, will be planted in the Blackwater River State Forest in the Florida Panhandle region.
To date, almost 10,000 trees have been planted by Trees for a Change in five different forests. Kim’s favorite part of her job is visiting the baby trees right after they are planted and taking photos.
With options as low as $15, Trees for a Change can help you find an affordable and unique gift that will also restore a forest. Not a bad deal.

Will you give a tree as a gift this holiday season?

this post was also published on pplkind.com