The Virtues of Apple Trees: Helping Communities Recover from Tragedy

AUGUST JOHN HOFFMAN

Metropolitan State University

“The Sandy Hook community will remember you forever!” exclaimed a young woman as she emotionally hugged several of my psychology students who had travelled to Newtown, Connecticut to participate in the community tree planting project. These touching and memorable words remain with me still today as our students and community members concluded a community service project that took place on Saturday, October 5, 2013 near the Sandy Hook Elementary School, located in Newtown, CT. The Sandy Hook community residents had just finished planting several varieties of 30 apple trees in the Newtown Victory Garden and the day long project was just beginning to wind down.

 

Why Plant Apple Trees?

Metropolitan State University is located in St. Paul, MN and serves a diverse population of over 7000 traditional and nontraditional students. Many of our current students include traditional high school graduates, but an increasing number of new students include retirees and older adults who have never previously attended any higher educational institution. Inver Hills Community College is a two year college located near Metropolitan State University in Inver Grove Heights, MN. Many graduates from Inver Hills Community College continue their education at Metropolitan State University, and both institutions have recently developed joint educational programs such as the schools of nursing and criminal justice. Additionally, both schools have created a community gardening partnership where students from both institutions work collaboratively in developing a fruit tree orchard and community garden on the sprawling campus of Inver Hills Community College. The foods grown here are donated to food shelters located throughout the greater St. Paul, MN area. Both institutions share a distinct mission to serve both their students and the community and to help those who have been afflicted by poverty and oppression.

As a community psychology professor at Metropolitan State University, I am very much aware of the importance for communities to work together and help individuals and families who may have experienced tragedy and are in need of some type of assistance. I have had extensive experience in working with underrepresented and low-income families and have seen the positive effects and intrinsic value in the development and shared responsibility of community service projects. I believe that each of us has a unique gift to share within a community, and that this skill or gift is an important contribution that helps bind communities together in times of crisis or tragedy. Shortly after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, I decided to contact local officials at the Newtown Department of Parks and Recreation and see if there was some way Metropolitan State University and Inver Hills Community College students and faculty could help in the recovery process from this terrible tragedy. My first suggestion to Ms. Amy Mangold, Newtown Dept. of Parks and Recreation Director, was to create a living memorial, such as a small fruit tree orchard. After some extended discussions (i.e., types of trees being planted, details about where the orchard would be located, etc.) with Metropolitan State University and Inver Hills Community College administrators, the Newtown Department of Parks and Recreation graciously accepted our offer to help develop a fruit tree orchard with members of the Newtown community.

Community members of Newtown, Connecticut and students from Metropolitan State University and Inver Hills Community College met on Saturday, October 5, 2013 with one goal in mind: We wanted to provide hope and honor the memories of the victims of the senseless shooting tragedy that had occurred on December 14, 2012. Planting trees has numerous therapeutic values and psychological benefits to people (Hadzigeorgiou, Prevezanou, Kabouropoulo & Konsolas, 2011). Trees not only help to beautify the environments in which we live in, but they also provide oxygen for us to breathe, and they protect us from the damaging effects of wind, sun and erosion. But perhaps most importantly I believe most individuals would agree that planting trees simply makes us feel better by the work that we are doing with other people.

While I was planting the trees I could see the facial expressions from each community member; I saw people with a variety of emotions. I could sense that the community members were grateful and happy to develop new relationships with our student participants, but I also saw they were sad and frustrated by what had occurred to them less than a year earlier. One community member commented to me during the tree planting activity that the newly planted trees would send a message of “hope and promise” for years to come to the people of Newtown, CT. The apple trees also offered a distinct form of what I would call “psychological nourishment,” or that which provides physical and spiritual help to those who have lost family and community members.

Community psychology is a branch of psychology that explores the dynamic relationships between individuals and the communities where they live. It provides methods of improving the overall quality of life by helping people to become better “connected” with their community and provides opportunities for individuals to demonstrate their skills and aptitudes with each other to form a close network. This close form of networking is more commonly referred to as social capital (Putnam, 2000). In my opinion, one of the more important general goals of psychology is to try to understand human nature in such a way that groups of individuals from different backgrounds can communicate and work with others in a more meaningful and authentic way that will enhance the development of social capital, cooperative and supportive behaviors. The term “community” itself refers to the Latin concept of “communitas” and is literally defined as “with gift.” In a world of rapidly emerging technology and social media, it is easy to forget the important value and benefits of interpersonal community service activities, such as planting a community garden or fruit tree orchard. For example, in a recent survey over half of undergraduate college students indicate a preference in using social media (i.e., “Facebook”) over interpersonal community service activities (King, 2011). One goal of this essay is to illustrate the important social and environmental positive influences of community service work activities and the evolutionary need for people to work collaboratively with each other, especially when they are recuperating from such a devastating loss as the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre.

There is a concept in psychology that refers to our ability to remember exactly what we were doing and where we were when something very important (unfortunately usually a negative event) has occurred. This interesting autobiographical memory capacity can span several years or even decades and is referred to as “episodic memory” (Tulving, 1984). For instance, those of us who are old enough may remember what we were doing on Friday, November 22, 1963 shortly after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy; more recently, we might remember where we were on the Tuesday morning of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Towers. On Friday, December 14, 2012 I had just finished grading and reviewing papers in my community psychology course. Quite ironically, the topic of the assignment was the relevance of community activities and how more individuals who feel more “connected” to their communities are actively engaged with a variety of activities designed to improve their neighborhoods, parks and school systems. As I continued grading I heard an announcement over the television that an “unprecedented attack” had occurred at a small elementary school near Newtown, Connecticut. The newscast reported a lone attacker had committed the second deadliest attack by a single person in U. S. history, murdering 26 individuals at the Sandy Hook Elementary School.

The impact of this devastating event still lingers in the minds of many individuals, including myself. After years of teaching and researching the topics of prosocial behaviors and community intervention, I felt a pressing need to find some way to help those individuals who were impacted during this tragic event. In short, I needed to find a way that allowed a community to heal itself in the wake of one of the most horrific and devastating events to occur in the United States. Before we could even begin to help the Newtown, CT community in the healing process, we first needed to gain their trust and acceptance and not appear as “intruders.” This trust was gradually achieved through the planning process with community members and the establishment of the Newtown Victory Garden where the trees would be planted. Newtown Victory Garden Director, Mr. Harvey Pessin, and Newtown Department of Parks and Recreation Director, Ms. Amy Mangold, helped in this process as, over the course of several months, we discussed the details of the tree planting project; we spoke about what types of trees would be planted and how the community members could participate in helping to plant each tree. Flyers were distributed throughout the small town of Newtown inviting the community members to help plant the new trees and the local newspaper (The Newtown Bee) helped to advertise the upcoming event.

However, with respect to this article and what we can learn from the experience at Newtown Victory Garden in particular and the impact of community service more generally, it is important to briefly address the sometimes controversial relationship between media and behavior. A very basic human response to any tragedy is to first try and understand what may have been the contributing factors to the event. Decades of historical research in psychology have shown the profound influences of media on behavior (Bandura, 1965; Anderson and colleagues, 2010). People (especially children) are more prone to emulate those behaviors they perceive as positive or desirable, even if those behaviors have catastrophic consequences (Huesmann & Taylor, 2003). Numerous studies and empirical research have shown strong correlations between the effects of media with prosocial behaviors (Greitemeyer, Osswald & Brauer, 2010) as well as community service work activities that reduce ethnocentrism (Hoffman, Espinoze-Parker, Wallach & Sanchez, 2009). While many psychologists and educational researchers support the idea that educational media can stimulate and enhance prosocial behaviors (i.e., cooperation) among children, there is significantly less agreement addressing the relationship between antisocial behaviors and violent media. For example, some criticism exists about the methodology and internal validity (i.e., correlation versus causal influences among two variables), and on the relationship between violent media games and aggressive behaviors (Ferguson, 2013).

While the debate whether or not violent media games are actually causally-related or correlated with aggressive behaviors remains controversial (Ferguson, 2013), we do know that the shooters (names intentionally withheld in this essay) in both the Sandy Hook Elementary School (12/14/12) and Columbine High School (4/20/99) were in fact very much preoccupied with violent video games such as “Moral Kombat” and “Doom” (New York Daily News, 2/17/13; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbine_High_School_massacre). We also know they created websites which were made available to the public and contained explicit instructions in the development of destructive devices (http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/violent-games-provide-motive-newtown-massacre-article-1.1266643). Detailed plans, journals, and “score sheets” were kept prior to the attacks at each school, and a blog created by one of the shooters in the Columbine massacre provided instructions about how to create pipe bombs and other weapons of mass destruction. The internet and various websites had provided each of the shooters with specific information on how to carry out each plan of massive destruction (Weber, Ritterfeld, & Mathiak, 2006; Thomas & Levant, 2012). More disturbing, however, is how relatively easy it is for people to access and download these detailed instructions of destruction, and that they still remain available to anyone (i.e., minors) who may have access to a computer. The focus of this article is not to ascribe or identify the motives of the shooters but rather to determine the factors that help us to better understand how community service work activities can help and promote growth among community members who are recovering from tragedy. Yet in order to fully understand the possible reach and breadth of community service work, we must also be mindful of the relationship between aggressive behavior and the media.

 

Methodology: Measuring the Effects of Tree Planting Activities

My reason for organizing a tree planting activity in the Newtown Victory Garden was simply to show the community members the psychological healing and therapeutic value in planting trees with other persons from different parts of the United States. Students from Metropolitan State University (n = 5) and Inver Hills Community College (n = 3) volunteered to participate in planting trees in the Newtown Victory Garden during the Fall 2013 academic semester. All students had completed community psychology course work and wanted to participate in the tree planting ceremony as a means of helping the Sandy Hook Community recover and heal from the recent (12/14/12) shooting tragedy. The trees used in the project were cultivars from the University of Minnesota (Honey Crisp®; Honey Gold®; and SnowSweet®) and were donated as a gift from one Midwestern community to a small community located in Newtown, CT (see Figure 1). The actual tree planting ceremony was conducted on Saturday, October 5, 2013 in the morning (11:00 am), and over 80 community members (including teachers and family members who were at the Sandy Hook Elementary School that fateful day) came to volunteer to plant the trees. Our student volunteers from Metropolitan State University and Inver Hills Community College paired up with several different community members and began planting trees in about a one acre site.

A short (20 minute) seminar in tree planting instructions (i.e., depth of planting, mulch use and watering) was provided by the Newtown Department of Parks and Recreation staff, and soon the Newtown community was taking great pride in the development of their new orchard. A total of 30 different fruit trees were planted, with an additional 30 given to Newtown community members to take home and plant in their own yards. A small pot luck luncheon was served to the participants with live folk music playing from a local band. At the conclusion of the tree planting ceremony, many of the participants stood in awe gazing at the newly planted trees in the scenic backdrop of the Newtown Victory Garden (see Figure 2).

At the end of the tree planting ceremony, several of the community members gave us hugs and their tears of thanks were authentic indicators of what we all were feeling that day. After the tree planting ceremony had concluded, we administered the Community Service Work (CSW) Questionnaire (see Appendix A) and a brief survey of five questions to each of the eight student participants who had helped the community residents plant the trees in the Newtown Victory Garden. The purpose of the questionnaire was primarily to determine what kind of impact (if any) the tree planting ceremony had on them, and secondarily to record their subjective experiences in completing the community service work. The CSW questionnaire asked participants a variety of questions pertaining to participant perceptions of the types of experiences that are typically associated with CSW activities and volunteer projects.

The CSW questionnaire identified four primary domains of community service work that have been shown to have strong internal consistency (Shiarella, McCarthy, & Tucker, 2000). Internal consistency refers to the degree that each question is actually measuring what it is designed to measure (i.e., a psychological construct) in the questionnaire. These domains included personal connectedness to one’s community (α = .92); understanding of disadvantaged groups (α = .84); awareness of needs of others and importance of community service work activities (α = .83); and likelihood to participate in future community service work activities (α = .93). In addition to the CSW questionnaire, participants were asked five open-ended questions pertaining to their personal experiences in planting the fruit trees with the community members in the Newtown Victory Garden (see Appendix B).

 

Results

A Pearson Correlation Coefficient was calculated to determine the relationship of the four domains of community service work. A significant (p < .01) correlation emerged between the domains of CSW as important activities and willingness to participate in future CSW activities (r = .882). Additionally, a second significant (p < .05) correlation emerged between the domains of CSW as important activities and feeling “connected” to one’s own community (r = .802):

Correlations
		CSW as Important Activities	Feel Connected to Community	Better Understanding of Different Ethnic Groups	Will Participate in Future CSW Activities
CSW as Important Activities	Pearson Correlation	1	.802*	.747*	.882**
	Sig. (2-tailed)		.017	.033	.004
	N	8	8	8	8
Feel Connected to Community	Pearson Correlation	.802*	1	.889**	.635
	Sig. (2-tailed)	.017		.003	.091
	N	8	8	8	8
Better Understanding of Different Ethnic Groups	Pearson Correlation	.747*	.889**	1	.548
	Sig. (2-tailed)	.033	.003		.159
	N	8	8	8	8
Will Participate in Future CSW Activities	Pearson Correlation	.882**	.635	.548	1
	Sig. (2-tailed)	.004	.091	.159
	N	8	8	8	8
* Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed).
** Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).

 

Discussion

These findings suggest that the four domains of community service work activities are significantly correlated (r = .802; r = .882) among individuals who participate in a post-traumatic community service work activity. One critical finding is the relationship between CSW activities and feeling “connected” to one’s own community. Given the rapid development and prevalence of social media, people are replacing “real” interpersonal community service work and volunteer activities with online or “virtual” computer enhanced programs, and in many cases prefer the online activities over community engagement activities (Putnam, 2000; Ozguven & Mucan, 2013) as well as “real” or interpersonal communication (Tardanico, 2012). The second important finding in this qualitative essay report is that current involvement in CSW activities helps to promote future involvement with volunteer activities, and when we are provided with direct opportunities to work with others, our relationships with diverse groups also improves (Ohmer, 2008). The current study can be characterized as “preventative” because CSW activities help prevent alienation within the community and provide individuals with several modalities to “connect” and work in meaningful activities with other individuals in the community (Trickett & Rowe, 2012; Hoffman, Wallach & Sanchez, 2010).

This essay has two important recommendations that are relevant to the positive socio-environmental impact of CSW activities: The first addresses the tragic consequences of the Sandy Hook Elementary School and Columbine High School shooting massacres. In both instances, each of the three assailants had experienced problems in establishing interpersonal relationships with their peers and achieving “connectedness” and a sense of belonging with their school and community environments (Eller, 2012; Frymer, 2009). As a consequence of their failed attempts to achieve closer and more intimate relationships with others in their social and academic environments, the fantasy world of violent video game technology and reality ultimately became fatally blurred and distorted (Bruyere & Garbarino, 2012).

It would be speculation and conjecture to assume that the CSW activities would have prevented these tragedies from occurring, but mounting evidence shows that when communities provide tangible opportunities for individuals from diverse (ethnic, religious, economic) groups to work collaboratively, perceptions of each group significantly improves and the likelihood for conflict is reduced and negative ethnic stereotypes are debunked (Pettigrew, 1998). When individuals are provided with more opportunities to participate in different types of community service work activities, they are more likely to understand the benefits of group work and superordinate activities (Tajfel & Turner, 1979). Our second recommendation recognizes that when individuals are provided with more opportunities to participate in different types of community service work activities involving superordinate goals, they are also more likely to understand the benefits of group work and superordinate activities (Gaertner, Dovidio, Banker, Houlette, Johnson, & McGlynn, 2000; Sheriff, Harvey, White, Hood, & Sherif, 1988). The shooters at the Columbine High School had strong biases, resentment and anger that were clearly directed at specific groups commonly seen in high school populations (i.e., athletes or “jocks,” social club members, etc.). A community service project requiring the skills of different students with a diverse set of skills could help bridge the gap of misunderstanding and resentment by identifying what each group had in common with each other rather than perceived differences within the groups.

During the interviews with our student participants, several students or respondents indicated that the opportunity to work with community residents from the Sandy Hook community was emotionally overwhelming and very positive: “I was made to feel like I belonged to the community and I felt that I was helping a community still suffering from their loss last December.” Another participant indicated that she felt “very positive about doing something [planting apple trees] that would be utilized by the community for generations to come . . . everyone here made all of us feel so welcome . . . like we are part of a family.” Finally, one student participant indicated that he felt “finally the community could open up and realize that they are not alone in the recovery from this disaster . . . it was the most meaningful experience I could ever hope for.” The Newtown tree planting activity shows the inherent benefits of community service work activities by providing community members with opportunities to see and experience the authentic positive and prosocial characteristics of people wanting to help others in their grieving and recovery process (see Figure 3). Conversely, we can also see the potentially negative and tragic consequences when individuals become disconnected and alienated from their own communities.

The strength of a community lies in its ability to address the needs of individual members through the development of ecologically-oriented activities and community-related projects (Brofenbrenner, 2005). Conversely, when communities fail to consider ecological factors and do not provide individuals with opportunities to work together, problems such as violence and antisocial behaviors can develop (Hong, Cho, Allen-Meares, & Espelage, 2011). When individuals are afforded the opportunity to share their skills and to work with each other, their relationships and trust with each other significantly improves (Hoffman, Wallach, Espinoza-Parker & Sanchez, 2009). Planting apple trees in a community orchard can help forge positive relationships by providing individuals with a variety of ways they can work collaboratively together and share their thoughts, feelings and goals for the future with each other. What a great way to reduce group conflict and aesthetically improve the physical appearance of our communities: Plant an apple tree.

Appendix A

Community Service Questionnaire

Please answer the following questions with a score of:

1 = Absolutely Untrue

2 = Somewhat Untrue

3 = Undecided

4 = Somewhat True

5 = Absolutely True

1. I feel that participating in volunteer or community work is an important activity that all people should be involved in _____;
2. When I participate in volunteer work and community service work, I feel better as a person _____;
3. When I participate in volunteer and community service work, I feel as though I am contributing to make society better for all people _____;
4. I feel more “connected” to my school and community when I participate in community service work ____;
5. After participating in community service work I feel more like I “belong” to my campus and community _____
6. When I participate in community service work, I feel as though I can accomplish more and learn more academically _____;
7. When I participate in volunteer or community service work, I feel as though I am more capable of accomplishing other types of goals in my life _____;
8. I feel as though my potential for school work and academics has improved significantly while I have been participating in community service activities _____;
9. Since participating in this project, I feel as though I am more likely to participate in future community service activities _____;
10. When I participate in volunteer or community service work, I like working outside and enjoy how the activity makes my body feel physically _____;
11. I feel that I have a better understanding of members from different ethnic groups since I have been working in my community service activity _____;
12. When working as a volunteer in the community, I feel that my sense of pride for the community and my school has also increased _____;
13. I feel that community service work has helped me to better understand other people and to understand different cultures _____;
14. I feel more comfortable in communicating and working with members from different ethnic groups since my community service activity ______;
15. Since my community service work I feel like I have more in common (similarities) with members from different ethnic groups than dissimilarities _____ .

Appendix B

Interview Questions 

1. Briefly describe your previous work in volunteer services to the community. What are your thoughts and feelings in completing the Newtown, Connecticut tree planting project?
2. How do you think the Newtown, CT community responded to you and the other student volunteers while completing the tree planting project?
3. Briefly describe what kinds of changes you expect to make in participating in this community project.
4. Do you feel that by helping the community plant trees in the Newtown Victory Garden you will have changed the lives of some of these community members? How so and in what way?
5. On a scale from “1” (least important) to “10” (most important), how would you rank the volunteer work that you have done in the Newtown, CT community? _____

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