PLANTING TREES FORMS CONNECTIONS
Community arborist finds that unity thrives when people go green together
Each week, this series will introduce you to an exceptional American who unites, rather than divides, our communities. To read more about the American profiled here and more average Americans doing exceptional things, visit onenation.usatoday.com.
Mari Aviles never expected that her studies would lead her to a career in the woods — she was never an outdoorsy kid — but after volunteering for Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, it was clear where she wanted to be: in nature, while helping her city.
After hearing of a job opening at the nonprofit, where she volunteered for several semesters in college, she was dead set on returning.
“Coming back to Indianapolis and doing what I love in the city that I grew up in and with the ownership I feel of the city was very rewarding,” Aviles said.
What she loves — and does for a living — is planting and maintaining trees across Indianapolis as a community arborist. Although planting trees may not seem like a community unifying activity, that’s Aviles’ and Keep Indianapolis Beautiful’s mission.
KIB connects volunteers to about 500 projects a year focusing on community improvement. The organization supports planting trees, cleaning up neighborhoods and other initiatives.
Aviles and the organization hope to unite people through nature.
“KIB strives to keep the communities beautiful by increasing the green spaces around the city and increasing the canopy,” she said. “These projects take a lot of manpower in the form of volunteers who ... become united by the work and the idea of a greener environment.”
They bring people together from diverse backgrounds, such as economic status, race, age and education.
“All of Indianapolis is diverse,” Aviles said. “Working in the various communities of Indianapolis will result in a diverse group of volunteers on any given project.”
Aviles emphasizes that it’s the little things that can bring people together and help the environment.
“I’ve faced the issue where people don’t believe they can make a change,” she said. “They
see themselves as one person in the whole world of people who are doing the same thing. With that, it seems a bit cliché to say it, but I let them know that if they do anything, it’ll have a positive impact.”