LEWISTON — In celebration of Maine’s State Arbor Week from May 16-20, hundreds of fourth-grade students in Androscoggin County helped plant trees. Community Credit Union recently adopted five schools and purchased trees for the students to plant. The project is part of the Fourth Grade Foresters project whose goal is to help revitalize observation of Arbor Day in America’s schools.

Community Credit Union provided fourth graders at the following schools with trees to take home and plant:

Washburn Elementary School in Auburn, 35 trees; Greene Central School in Greene, 60 trees; Elm Street Elementary School in Mechanic Falls, 45 trees; Poland Elementary School in Poland, 70 trees; and Carrie Ricker Elementary School in Litchfield, 110 trees.

Jennifer Hogan, marketing and business development director of Community Credit Union, said, “We are always looking for new ways to get involved with both the schools and environmental projects. This project provided us with the opportunity to do both. We sponsor the Pine Street Community Garden with Lots to Gardens and also host an annual Community Recycle Day. We felt this was another way to reach people, specifically young people, to make them aware of our environment so they can begin to do their part to help preserve our planet.”

Fourth Grade Foresters USA was created to provide a simple and inexpensive way for any individual, business or organization to send the fourth grade students at an elementary school home with a tree of their own to plant and care for. Each fourth grader receives an individually packaged 12- to 18-inch evergreen tree seedling sealed in a polybag by workers with disabilities. Each package includes information about Maine’s Arbor Day, planting and care instructions, and the name of its sponsor.