Peter with MEEC Founder Bro. Don Geiger, SM

As interest in native plants has grown, so has our nursery. Central to those efforts the past two years has been Peter Evans, a Marianist PULSE (Partners for Urban Leadership, Service, and Education) volunteer. Peter first volunteered with MEEC as an eighth-grade confirmation candidate at St. Albert’s and his service continued through his time at Chaminade-Julienne High School and at the University of Dayton. Many of you met him on your trips to Mount St. John. He has led hikes and interpretive programs, coordinated service opportunities for area high school and university students, and helped with land management. He also added more than 20 species of Ohio trees to our native plant nurseries. He tracked down sources and hand-collected seeds, consulted tree experts on propagation, and nurtured them well while he was here. 

Peter’s full-time experience with us is almost over, and we want to make sure his nursery grows while sharing the gift of his first trees. We’re asking for your support to hire another intern who can continue to tend his saplings, add new species, and lead service learning experiences for area students. Make a contribution to our intern fund of any amount, and select a tree as a thank you. If you don’t have space for one of the trees, you can designate your thank you gift to be planted at Mount St. John or at one of our urban partners – the Dakota Center in Dayton View, Harvest for Hope in North Dayton, or Dayton’s East End. 

To contribute online, click here.