Philadelphia Parks & Recreation's TreePhilly recently announced an opportunity for Philadelphians to win $300 in gardening supplies by sharing their stories about their favorite Trees of Philly.

Philadelphia, October 30, 2014 – TreePhilly recently announced the launch of the first-ever Trees of Philly Story Contest, a fun new initiative that encourages Philadelphians to share stories about their favorite trees for a chance to win $300 in gardening supplies and other fun prizes. The contest, which is open through November 14, has already garnered nearly 100 submissions from tree lovers across the city. TreePhilly hopes the contest will help Philadelphians reconnect with their environment – and inspire them to show it some love.  

"The Trees of Philly Story Contest gives Philadelphians the opportunity to show their Arborly Love," says TreePhilly Program Manager Erica Smith Fichman. "Many of us are motivated to plant trees or spend time in nature because they evoke strong emotions and create lasting memories. We want to collect and share stories about those experiences."

Philadelphians are invited to share their tree stories through November 14^th by submitting a 50-250 word story and photo at treesofphillystories.com. Judges from TreePhilly will select a winner to receive $300 in gardening supplies and a few honorable mentions to receive Philly- and tree-themed prize packs. Some of the best stories will also be featured on TreePhilly's new website in December.

TreePhilly is an outreach and education initiative of Philadelphia Parks & Recreation in partnership with the Fairmount Park Conservancy and Wells Fargo. TreePhilly engages Philadelphians to improve their communities by planting trees and providing the resources and support to care for them. Part of Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter's  Greenworks Philadelphia plan, TreePhilly is working to increase tree canopy coverage to 30% in each Philadelphia neighborhood.