The landscape at Hospice Haven will steadily grow skywards after volunteers and students from Monroe Avenue Elementary School planted two of 15 new trees as part of a beautification effort on Thursday morning at Hospice Haven.

“This will mean so much to our patients and their families,” said Lisa Ledford, development coordinator for Richmond County Hospice. “It’s so wonderful for the children to come out and do this.”

Eight students from Monroe Avenue Elementary, nicknamed “Conservation Rangers”, planted two white oaks at Hospice Haven with the help of members from the Hamlet Tree and Beautification Group.

The Conservation Rangers is a collection of students in the third, fourth and fifth grade at Monroe Avenue who participate in the program.

“We teach these kids all about trees,” said Ruby Bruce, president of the Hamlet Tree and Beatification Group.

Now close to four feet tall, the white oaks planted were potted by the students in early January when the trees were only saplings, according to Bruce.

The beautification group works in cooperation with Monroe Avenue Elementary and support a tree nursery within the school, which according to Bruce, is the only school in North Carolina to have a tree nursery like it.

Over the next month, volunteers at Richmond County Hospice will begin planting the other 13 trees on the grounds at Hospice Haven. They include River Birch, Kousa Dogwoods and White Oak,

According to Nancy Norton with The Hamlet Tree and Beautification Group, the group has donated more than 2,000 tress in the Richmond County area over its 10 year history.

Betty Roberts brought eight students to Hospice Haven to participate in the tree planting: Caela Goins, Deandre Covington, Miranda Cumber, Malik Gould, Rodrick Hammond, Marcus Hutchinson, Valeria Alzate and Deion Evens.

All of the students are in the fourth grade.

n Staff writer Bryan Stewart can be reached at 997-3111 ext. 15, or by e-mail at bstewart@yourdailyjournal.com.