Community Engagement

• I didn’t step foot in the Arboretum for the first year I lived in Jamaica Plain. Then one late spring day, in the midst of a pretty heavy mental funk, I decided to go for a walk. I’ve been back nearly every day since for the past 4 years. The Arboretum has offered more than I could possibly put into just a short blurb. People think of many different things when they think Boston, but to me, the first thing I see are the winding pathways through the trees that have truly became my home.

  PJ Ciacelli

• After many years of living near the Arboretum and walking there many times a week, I moved to Sherborn. Friends assured me I would find lovely walking trails in Sherborn. They didn’t understand how much the Arboretum means to me. My interactions with your staff, other visitors, the exhibits, and the lectures are irreplaceable. The Arnold Arboretum for me is a community of people who revere nature, plants, and our planet. It is a place of solace, learning, and wonder. What the remarkable Ned Friedman has brought to the Arboretum cannot be too highly praised. His enthusiasm and passion is visible throughout the Arboretum. Although I visit infrequently now, these Director’s Lectures give me the opportunity once again to be inspired and succored by the spirit of my beloved Arnold Arboretum. Many thanks to all of you who work hard to bring these lectures to Arboretum lovers near and far.

  Maureen Richards
• We moved to Roslindale in 2020, at the height of the pandemic. Our family of four was packed into a two-bedroom in the South End during the lockdown; our new home by the Mendem gate of the Arboretum gave us space to breathe, both literally and figuratively. When we moved, our eldest daughter began outdoor preschool in the Arboretum. Her younger sister has since joined. Rain or shine, all year round, they explore the park, learning in and with the stunning nature around them. Some of my most cherished memories are from our ritualized walks to school, by scooter, stroller and sometimes even by sled. Our takeaway: you don’t have to wait for perfect conditions to enjoy your world. The paths throughout the park are a constant in my life; I have run them weekly, I waddled them when I became pregnant with our third child, and slowly walked them while my newborn son slept in a carrier on my chest. The Arboretum has proven to be a respite from our busy lives; a place where not only trees, but its visitors flourish and grow.

  Kate Zeitler

• I got to marry the man of my dreams surrounded by nature without breaking the bank. I look forward to visiting that spot and walking the grounds every year to mark the passing of time and to look back on that special moment we got to share in a place that is so public yet so intimate.

  Mary Darling

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