By: Curt Williams, Executive Director & Founder
If you go back over a hundred years or more, the area that Youth-Reach now occupies was a small part of a vast area referred to as salt grass prairie; a land area with sparse areas of tree stands and primarily low, relatively flat grasslands. This area was used for pasturing cattle by hardscrabble Texans that were hardy or foolish enough to believe they could compete with the weather and the mosquitoes for survival.
In time, trees were planted, oil and gas were discovered, streams carved themselves into bayous and the Houston Ship Channel gave rise to the thousands of square miles of refineries and industries that grew our hometown into the behemoth it is today. It has been said that the east side of Houston creates the wealth that the west side of Houston gets to spend. Much of that is true.
Located just outside Beltway 8, a bit north of Interstate 10, it has been our heart to make the Youth-Reach campus a beautiful oasis within this industrial desert. Recently, when groups have asked what they can come out to do we always answer with, “You can help us plant trees!”
Due to droughts and a disastrous freeze, we have lost some of our towering old pines. However, in the last few months we have had some church groups come out to help us “green up” Youth-Reach in a fresh new way. Our friends from Westbury Baptist came out and blessed us with some beautiful trees and willing hands to help plant them. Then, a few months later, a group from First Baptist Pasadena came out. With the help of our new friend Mr. Jon Matthews (owner of Shades of Texas), we planted another group of trees.
The Quaker theologian, Elton Trueblood once said, “A man has at least a start on discovering the meaning of human life when he plants shade trees under which he knows full well he will never sit.”
All told, we have planted close to forty new trees here on our campus. The Pasadena group, like the Westbury team, came out with the correct soil and fertilizer, along with the stakes to keep these new trees standing straight and true until they are well rooted and strong.
We didn’t just drop trees in the ground and walk away. We made fun events out of the effort! There was laughter, a few sore backs, some dirty fingernails and many new friendships forged. Then, of course, there was lunch and fellowship.
In total, we have planted Laurel oaks, live oaks, pecan trees, pines, sycamore trees, red maples, Bradford pear trees, crepe myrtles and camphor trees. They are all quite beautiful.
Now, the challenge is keeping them well-watered and alive through the searing Texas summer. To do so, we divided the new trees into zones and assigned several of our more responsible boys to keep them watered and cared for.
Almost every day these new trees are being checked on and getting watered by boys who are learning to care for something that is utterly dependent upon them for its very life.
That right there is a vital life lesson. It’s what we do.
