School Donates $1,105 to Preservationists

For the second straight year, third-graders at Carpenter Avenue School presented the Los Angeles forest preservation group TreePeople with a four-figure check at a ceremony Thursday.

The elementary students gave $1,105, all proceeds from sales of 50- and 75-cent bags of popcorn during Friday recess dating back to October.

TreePeople spokeswoman Leslie Mylius said the donation exceeded last year’s total of $1,000. She said Lydia Friedlich’s class decided on the project last year after visiting TreePeople’s headquarters in Coldwater Canyon Park for an “eco-tour.”

The tour illustrated the role of trees in an urban setting, explaining how they can clean the air and minimize the risk of drought, in addition to beautifying the city.

Besides its education programs, TreePeople helps residents plant and maintain trees.

“They came up here and got really inspired,” Mylius said.

After deciding on the popcorn plan, students busied themselves with business matters such as pricing and advertising.

The nonprofit TreePeople relies heavily on donations and often works with schools around L.A., Mylius said.

“But never, to my knowledge, have we had philanthropists at this age,” she said. “Eleven hundred dollars is a lot of popcorn.”