T-R PHOTO BY SARA JORDAN-HEINTZ The Marshalltown High School Class of 1969 has launched the MHS Bobcat Tree Restoration Fund Drive, whereby they have been working to raise money to plant approximately 300-500 trees around Marshalltown to replace ones damaged by the July 19 tornado. Earlier this week, members of the class planted the first of 50 trees designated for the campus of the Iowa Veterans Home. Here campaign vice president/treasurer Lyle Jensen and IVH Commandant Timon Oujiri plant the tree, which honors Class of 1969 graduate Kenneth Tucker, who was killed in the Vietnam War.

Due to the devastation of the July 19 tornado, many properties around Marshalltown lost some, if not most, of their trees resulting in a loss of habitat for animals, lack of shade, and a more barren landscape. The Marshalltown High School Class of 1969 has launched a MHS Bobcat Tree Restoration Fund Drive with the goal of raising $50,000 to plant 300-500 trees indigenous to Iowa on private and public land in Marshalltown.

Campaign Chairperson Bob Hougher, who has been a lifelong arborist, helped develop the project’s concept.

“I was up in Marshalltown the day after the devastation and saw the tornado’s path and all the trees that just got ruined,” he said. “I have a 146-acre farm in Fairfield and have planted 40,000 trees there, and I thought planting trees would be a perfect legacy program for our class. We’re just getting going and the momentum so far has been impressive.”

The group obtained a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation status to be eligible for charitable tax deductions for both 2018 and 2019. Since starting this project a few weeks ago, the class has already raised $10,000 and agreed to cover the costs to have 50 trees planted on the Iowa Veterans Home campus.

“The Iowa Veterans Home,” “Trees for Vets,” “Trees for Grandpa and Grandma” (senior citizens), the City of Marshalltown’s “Trees Forever” committee for public property and “In Memoriam” are the categories in which people may apply for the free trees. In Memoriam trees will be planted in honor of a loved one, and will be accompanied by an identification tag.

“We’ve had a very active alumni class,” Campaign Vice President/Treasurer Lyle Jensen said. “Ten years ago, at our 40th reunion, our class alone raised $25,000 for the electronic message board that is out front at MHS. After the tornado, we knew we wanted to help out the community, with the project coinciding with our 50th class reunion celebration in 2019.”

The first tree was planted earlier this week at IVH near the World War II memorial. It honors Class of 1969 graduate Kenneth Tucker who was killed in the Vietnam War.

“We lost about 50 trees here – the largest one had a diameter of 52 inches,” IVH Facility Bureau Chief David Haines said. “We have the opportunity now to line that west entrance and have beautiful colors there when you first come in.”

Jensen said he hopes other graduating classes will financially support this project, as well as businesses and private individuals. As an incentive, the class plans to create two “Foliage Hall of Fames” to honor donors, divided by graduating class or business entity. These plaques would then be put on public display.

The trees the class are able to purchase will then be planted by local service clubs and Boy Scout troops (for private land) and by designated city employees on the public land. The majority of the trees will be planted in 2019. The fund drive will end next year on Sept. 29, 2019 at an MHS All Alumni Picnic Celebration held at Riverview Park.

“I had a T-R paper route (growing up) and I rode my bike under tree-lined Main Street, so a lot of us remember the canopy of trees that covered downtown,” Jensen said.

People interested in getting involved may visit the class’ Marshalltown Tree Restoration Fund Facebook page. Donations may be made at gofundme.com/marshalltown-tornado-restoration and through PayPal.

Checks are payable to: MHS Bobcat Alumni Fund, c/o Lyle Jensen, P.O. Box 287, Winterset, Iowa 50273. For more information, Jensen may be reached at 515-468-9631 and lylejensen.ia@gmail.com

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Contact Sara Jordan-Heintz at 641-753-6611 or sjordan@timesrepublican.com