A small act intended to placate his daughter turned into something much bigger when Darren Anderson planted the sapling that his daughter received in school after the Fort McMurray wildfire. What Darren planted has become a tree of hope, providing inspiration for everyone who sees it. As a 15 year veteran who works for Strathcona County Emergency Services Anderson went to Fort McMurray in order to help fight the wildfire that destroyed much of the area and forced over 80,000 people to evacuate their homes. Shortly before this Darren’s daughter Sophia received a sapling as part of an assignment at Our Lady of Mount Carmel where she is in the first grade. The assignment was for the student to find a place to plant the tree.

When Sophie learned that her dad was going to fight the Fort McMurray wildfire the child asked if her dad could plant her tree there, since so much had already been lost. Darren stated “She said I could plant the tree to help the people.” During a lunch break from dousing hot spots in the area Anderson found a great spot to plant the sapling, and then he posted a picture of the planted sapling on his Facebook page with the heartwarming caption “To Fort McMurray… From Sofia.” Darren expected his friends and family to see the post but did not expect what happened next. The photo Anderson posted has had tens of thousands of views, and it has been shared more than 7,000 times just on the McMurray’s My Home Facebook page.