The city of Phoenix partnered with Arizona Public Service for the sixth annual Planting Hope event, which aims to raise awareness for domestic violence alongside a community tree planting event.

On Tuesday, volunteers planted more than 50 new trees in the Edison-Eastlake Community, generously provided through the APS Community Tree Program. Residents applied for the grant after several trees were damaged during monsoon storms.

“Planting Hope is a powerful example of what happens when residents, city departments, and community partners come together with a shared purpose,” stated Mayor Kate Gallego in a news release. “This event brings beauty and shade to the neighborhood, while raising critical awareness about domestic violence and the resources available to those affected. It’s a reflection of our city’s commitment to building safer, stronger communities.”

This event is just one part of the city’s role in revitalizing this community; the Housing Department is leading a major transformation using more than $42 million in Choice Neighborhoods Grant funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The city is replacing 577 outdated public housing units with more than 1,000 brand-new, mixed-income homes, adding nearly nine acres of new and expanded green space and developing the new Thash Mahd Center and Horizon One Vision Center for community resources.

“This is what community-led transformation looks like. Planting Hope is more than a tree planting, it’s about healing, beautifying, and strengthening our neighborhoods,” stated District 8 Councilwoman Kesha Hodge Washington in the release. “This is a great example of what happens when residents and partners come together to bring positive change to our community.”

Since the beginning of the Choice Neighborhoods initiative, residents have played a central role in shaping the future of their community, participating in leadership academies, reviewing proposals and initiating projects that reflect their priorities, like bringing more shade.

Through APS’ Community Tree Program, the utility works with Title 1 schools, non-profit organizations, neighborhood associations, cities, and towns in low-income areas to provide trees and assist in the planting. APS has helped plant more than 2,100 trees since the program launched in 2022.

“As a home-based utility company, we want to give back to the communities we live, work, and serve every day,” stated Tina Marie Tentori, APS Director of Community Affairs in the release. “Our Community Tree program is just one way we do that.”

Planting Hope began in October 2020, as a way for the city of Phoenix to safely connect with residents during the height of the pandemic and recognize Domestic Violence Awareness Month. In recognition of the city’s Paint Phoenix Purple initiative, residents planted purple flowers- the awareness color for domestic violence- in the community garden, created signs with messages of hope and shared information about resources for survivors. Over the past five years, the initiative has grown into a tradition of solidarity, healing and community action.

Editor's note: The above was republished from a city of Phoenix news release.