Rotary Club of Cincinnati members wielded picks and shovels at the Camp Allyn campus in Batavia and planted 30+ trees on a frosty fall day.

The gathering was the club’s response to a challenge by the president of Rotary International, calling for Rotary clubs around the globe to plant a tree for each of the 1.2 million Rotarians worldwide, said Fred Fischer, who chaired the local project.

“Rather than plant little trees that might be mowed down by lawnmowers, we decided to plant substantial trees, with each tree representing several Rotarians,” Fischer said.

Club members donated $5,375 and raised another $2,000 through a grant from Rotary District 6670 to pay for the trees and equipment rental.

Thirty Rotarians, along with family and friends, turned out to plant amid mud, rain and chilly temperatures. Trees included cedar, serviceberry, London plane, redwood, tulip, beech, maple, oak and black gum trees.

Camp Allyn is owned by Rotary Club of Cincinnati and is home to year-round programming for more than 400 children and adults with developmental disabilities. Programming is provided by Stepping Stones, a partner agency of United Way and Rotary.