On October 15, Keep Reading Beautiful ‘s Amanda Funk and Tanya Melendez stood before a room of environmental leaders, community advocates, and beautification organizations from across Pennsylvania and shared a simple idea:
What if we could preserve Reading’s history, expand our tree canopy, connect residents to the natural world, and leave a gift for future generations… all by planting trees?
Moments later, that idea became an award-winning reality.
We are honored to share that the Black Walnut Legacy Initiative was awarded the $2,500 Investment Award at the Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful 2026 Convention.
The funding is important. But what this recognition represents may be even more meaningful.
It is a vote of confidence in Reading. It is proof that bold ideas can come from communities of every size, and that local residents have the power to shape a healthier and more beautiful future.
For our team, this journey did not begin with a grant application or a fundraising campaign.
It began with a tree.
As volunteers and community members explored Reading’s history, we uncovered references to a remarkable story. Historical records indicate that this black walnut tree was gifted to Reading from George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate and was planted in Reading during the 1932 George Washington Bicentennial celebrations.
How do we honor the past while investing in the future?
The answer became the Black Walnut Legacy Initiative.
The initiative seeks to collect and propagate seeds from this heritage black walnut tree grow them through a community-based nursery program, and plant future generations of these trees throughout Reading. Along the way, residents, students, educators, volunteers, historians, and community partners will have opportunities to learn, grow, and steward these living legacies together.
Trees are more than scenery. They cool neighborhoods, improve health, and strengthen communities. In Reading, planting trees is an investment in our future. But the Black
Walnut Legacy Initiative is about more than environmental benefits. It is about connecting people to history, place, and one another.
A person who plants a walnut seed today may never see that tree reach its full height. They may never sit beneath its mature canopy. They may never know all of the people who benefit from it. But they plant it anyway.
That is an act of hope.
The $2,500 Investment Award will help launch the next phase of this initiative, supporting seed collection, propagation, volunteer engagement, community education, and long-term planning. More importantly, it gives momentum to an idea that has the potential to grow far beyond its initial investment.
The award is an exciting beginning, but the true success of this initiative will depend on the people who choose to become part of it.
If you believe in a greener Reading, stronger neighborhoods, and leaving something meaningful behind for future generations, we invite you to get involved.
Join Keep Reading Beautiful and become part of a growing movement of residents, volunteers, educators, gardeners, and community leaders working to make Reading cleaner, greener, and more connected.
A $2,500 award does not plant a forest.
People do.
And together, Reading’s next great legacy begins with a black walnut tree.
