St. Paul city employees help plant trees at church in Rondo neighborhood

City and county employees joined community volunteers Monday to plant trees at Camphor Memorial United Methodist Church in St. Paul's Rondo neighborhood, helping transform an open grassy area into a greener gathering space.The effort brought together the city's Growing Green Employee Resource Network, the nonprofit Human Nature and members of the church congregation.For St. Paul firefighter Eric Morcos, who had just finished a 24-hour shift, the opportunity to give back was worth sacrificing some rest."I just got done with the 24-hour shift, so I'm running on empty right now, but you know I think it's important to show up for these things," Morcos said.Morcos, who has lived in St. Paul for most of his life, said he hopes the trees will eventually provide a comfortable place for families to gather."It's great because this church uses this land and in 20 years they'll have some nice shade for kids to play under," he said.The planting was organized in part through St. Paul's Growing Green