by Claudia Martinez
In May, Orozco Community Academy participated in Roots & Routes to Grow at Burnham Park. This event was brought to the school on behalf of The Resurrection Project (TRP). More than 800 volunteers from around the city participated in this event, including students and parents from Orozco Academy.
It was early morning when parents and students met in front of TRP’s office, where they boarded buses to the event. Once they arrived at Burnham Park, they were separated into groups and enthusiastically began planting trees. After the planting was done, parents and students were able to celebrate with lunch and music, and learned about the different environmental organizations in our community.
“I came out of curiosity and it was my first time participating in something like this with my children,” says Patricia Zarate, Orozco parent. “Next year, I would love to attend something like this and invite other parents to do this with their kids!”
This is the first year that TRP participated at this event, bringing together 17 parents, 32 students, and 6 staff members for a total of 55 participants. Overall, the joint effort resulted in 50,000 trees planted within a 20-acre segment of the larger Burnham wildlife corridor.  According to Helene Achanzar, Elev8 Manager of Education Programs, “It was inspiring to see Orozco families volunteering on Día de las Madres. The high turnout for the event was really a testament to the dedication Orozco parents have to their children and to making the City of Chicago a better place for all.”