Our heartfelt thanks to the many individuals who made our second tree planting at Mowat Farm Park in Barrhaven event a great success. First the Steering Committee – Ashley Janna, Carole Nehme, Colette Corban, Hashem Y Hashem, and Mounir Gedeon – who, over the past year have given generously their precious time, support and gifts to help bring this project to life. This project could not have seen the light without them!
Also, a big thank you to all the volunteers of all ages, who with each tree they planted, made our home healthier and more beautiful for all. And our wonderful sponsors who helped us turn the tree planting event into a festival are greatly appreciated: Domino’s Pizza (by Owner/Partner Himanshu Choudhry) provided lunch, and SJKC Fashion (by CEO Carole Nehme) brought loads of snacks and drinks to the many volunteers and guests. A touch of magic was added by Colette Corban and Ashley Janna who gave gifts for five volunteers whose names were drawn from the list of attendees. Gentle Ways also thanks Samantha Armstrong from Holey Confections, Fallowfield Rd, for their quick response when we approached their Barrhaven business for sponsorship. And, GentleWays friends are always there for us and we are grateful for their generous donations: Abir Harb, Rabah Corbane, Fadi Abou-Arraj, Victor Nekhay, and Zivana Pavich.
On the ground the first guest to arrive, on a bicycle, was David Hill, Barrhaven West Counsellor whose passion and commitment for a greener Ottawa left us uplifted and energized. Last but not least, a big thank you to H.E. Fadi Ziadeh, the Lebanese Ambassador in Canada and the beloved Consul, Mr. Kamel El-Cheikhali for attending our event and planting a few trees before moving on to their next engagements.
As mentioned in the Ottawa citizen story, the vision of creating a cedar tree forest here in Ottawa is alive within us. This is a big endeavor… the Lebanon Forest Steering Committee will pursue the dream and will make it happen, God willing!