The Ismaili Boy and Girl Scouts of Santa Clara Valley Jamatkhana worked with HandsOn Bay Area and the City of San Leandro to join in on the mission of planting 5,000 trees by 2026 across the community, in parks, public medians, and private property.

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Siblings Ashna and Sahil Rasyani are busy with the task at hand.

As the sun beamed on Earth Day, Ismaili children, their parents, and volunteers rolled up their sleeves under the guidance of Lawrence Abbott, a retired ISA-certified arborist and wildlife biologist, to create a natural habitat for the native birds, butterflies, and moths of San Leandro.

The Ismaili Civic volunteers planted 31 valley oak trees collectively in the span of two hours and learned about horticulture and the importance of native trees for the survival of native species.

Karen Lally, the climate action coordinator with HandsOn Bay Area, expressed her enthusiasm in working with the Ismaili Civic organization and particularly noted the energy of our scouts.

“When you all come out, there’s just a really great atmosphere and energy. Everyone is joyful and happy, and ready to work.” Karen shared that her favorite moment of the morning was when the adults were getting tired, and the scouts energetically volunteered to “Let us dig!”

Our scouts learned about tree planting, and Aydin Valani, age six, shared that “the greenery of the Earth purifies the Earth from sicknesses.” Munir Bhimani, the Cub Master of the Ismaili Boy Scouts of the Santa Clara Valley chapter, reminisced on his early days as a Boy Scout himself and how wonderful this event was in building community and teaching our youth about voluntary service.

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Lion Scouts Sinan Damani and Liam Manji are pleased after planting their first tree.

Jacquie Propps, a tree leader with the San Leandro Tree Board, appreciated the Ismaili Civic volunteers and reiterated the importance of valley oak trees in the city, necessary to support thousands of species which make up our food chain, our system, and our community. As she said, “You never forget a tree you planted,” and our Ismaili scouts will never forget that the trees on Earth are the lungs of our planet.

Here’s to Pack786, our first Ismaili Scouts troop in Northern California, for trailblazing the way for more Scouts to come.