Hope Week continues with tree-planting effort

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Twins kicked off their All-Star Game legacy efforts by planting trees in St. Paul on Friday.

Volunteers from the Twins front office and the Pohlad Family of Companies were on hand at the event with Great River Greening to plant trees at the Trout Brook Nature Sanctuary in St. Paul.

The tree-planting is part of the All-Star legacy project aimed to transform the preserve into a nature sanctuary complete with prairie, savanna, maple-basswood forest and a storm water management system of filtration ponds and wetlands, as well as to expand the trail to create an 18-mile uninterrupted path through nature.

The tree-planting was also part of the fourth annual Hope Week for the Twins, which featured several charitable efforts throughout the week.

Other events included a fishing outing with children from the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities hosted by Twins closer Glen Perkins on Tuesday at Lake Harriet in Minneapolis. First baseman Joe Mauer also hosted a Picnic in the Park on Wednesday with patients from Gillette Children's Hospital in the Legends Club at Target Field.

The tree-planting was the first of many projects for the Twins as part of their legacy giving effort with the club set to host the All-Star Game at Target Field on July 15.

The Twins and Major League Baseball are set to contribute a record $8 million toward local projects and national charitable initiatives as part of the 2014 All-Star community legacy effort.

"It's humbling," Twins president Dave St. Peter said. "Obviously the All-Star Game itself is going to be a wonderful showcase of the ballpark, the city and the state but the legacy giving projects are going to be here long after the All-Star Game concludes. So it's really a chance to give back and make a difference to people who need help."