In celebration of Earth Day on Sunday, April 22, the Los Angeles Rams partnered with the Los Angeles Conservation Corps to plant trees on Prairie Ave by the LA Stadium and Entertainment District at Hollywood Park (LASED), Manchester Ave by the Forum, Osage Ave and La Palma Drive in Inglewood. Front office staffers were led by youth Corps leaders to facilitate digging, tree preparation, planting and watering.

Inglewood Mayor James Butts joined the local efforts and even planted a tree of his own to kick off the event. As the stadium district begins to take form, so too will the trees across the way and Mayor Butts believes these trees are more than just small adornments to some of Inglewood's neighborhoods, but rather serve as symbols of community, teamwork and the environment.

"We've got about 30 volunteers and across the street, Stan Kroenke and the Kroenke group are building the most magnificent stadium and entertainment district in the country, but this is really about Earth Day, the environment and volunteerism," said Mayor Butts. "It's a continuation of what the Rams are in our community, they're meshed within our community and they're particularly involved with our children and we're very happy about that…Since the Rams announced their move to Inglewood, community pride has skyrocketed. But to come early, to be involved early, this has cemented that bond with us and with the city. To have the Rams here and to be involved in these types of activities is a dream come true. This is a great day for the city of Inglewood."

As a 16-year veteran and CEO of the LA Conservation Corps, Wendy Butts has a strong passion for the environment and the impact it has on communities. She was thrilled to hear that the Rams shared her passion and thought this would be a tangible way to impact the current and future residents of Inglewood.

"We have the great privilege of planting trees in the city of Inglewood with the LA Rams staff," said Butts. "Obviously, we've been very excited about the Rams coming back to the LA area and we are always looking for opportunities to expand our reach in the greater LA community. We've planted trees around the new stadium, both directly across and in the residential area nearby to make Inglewood a little cleaner and a little greener."

The LA Conservation Corps is the nation's largest urban conservation corps and LA's preeminent youth development organization. The program's goal is to prepare LA's forgotten youth for post-secondary education and living wage jobs, and to inspire change for themselves, their communities and the world.

The Earth Day initiative was part of the Rams' monthly Day of Service program. Each month, the Rams front office staff takes time out of the office to volunteer with local non-profits. Since returning home to Los Angeles, Rams staff members have provided more than 3,000 hours of community service and impacted 20 non-profits and 41 schools through the Day of Service program. 

For more information about the Rams community outreach initiatives, please visit therams.com/community.