Inspiring Partnerships
Philanthropists Bob and Francine Barrett share the inspiration behind the Barrett Family Foundation’s support of Trees for Life.
Francine Barrett (Left) & Bob Barrett (Right)
What inspires your passion for Trees?
I was born at a time when our parents encouraged us to climb trees. Some of my fondest memories include tapping the maples on our property and sugaring off. They didn’t make much syrup, but it was a big event nonetheless. I believe that growing up in the forests and working on the farms around my boyhood home has influenced my values and built a deep respect for nature that is hard to define. Francine recalls a huge tree that she and the neighbourhood kids used as their home base for their games of hide and seek. She vividly recalls its fragrance, leaning her arm against the rough bark to hide her eyes and the expanse of leafy shade it created for them to play under.
What do you see as our greatest strength in working with the Barrett Family Foundation to achieve a better future?
BFF is committed to making the planet safer and more productive for future generations. Planting trees efficiently cleans the air, keeps people healthy, and beautifies local communities.
Two of our foundation’s core values are collaboration and amplifying funding. We like how Trees for Life connects other ENGO’s, private donors, government, and corporations to enhance the work of community-led tree planting groups. To inspire others to give, we offer a 1:1 match. It makes us incredibly happy to know that to date, our $600K commitment has been matched and in some cases, Trees for Life has delivered a 4x return on our investment. That’s value.
Building trust is key to success in life. Francine and I trust in the leaders of Trees for Life to accomplish what they set out to do, to use our money effectively and with successful outcomes. The Highway of Heroes is proof of this vision that has become a reality. BFF wants to work with charities that have leadership teams with a passion and the ability to work with multi-million-dollar gifts. There is no one we know with more determination and passion for planting trees than Mark Cullen and the TFL team.
My dad taught us to be risk takers, to understand risk, evaluate it and make decisions. Plus it is our wish that your great-grandchildren can play hide and seek under giant trees. Climate change is a huge risk to our future and we want to do all we can to address it.
How does working with Trees for Life support Polytainer’s corporate culture?
Polytainer’s role in food security is important but we recognize there is an environmental impact to our business. Supporting TFL aligns with our corporate values and our customers’ environmental, social, and governance philosophies. Many of our customers are leaders in our sector’s approach to sustainability.
Our employees tell us they appreciate our giving back to the community. The donations to TFL are just one of many ways we do this. We were pleased to learn that the trees planted through our gifts to Trees for Life are offsetting the annual vehicle carbon footprint of the people working at our Canadian plant. That’s important to share and meaningful to us all.