Ahead of Mother’s Day, sweetshades and bronze loquats were placed along 8th Street in Westlake to honor women from the neighborhood whose volunteer work has made a difference — in the classroom and on the streets.

Kareen Sandoval was among the first to spot her tree, a skinny little thing about 9 feet tall with dark shimmering leaves.

To read about these amazing women and the trees that honor them, click here.

“Look how beautiful you are,” she said, reaching for the trunk. “I want you to grow big and strong and never get knocked down.”

Along 8th Street in Westlake on Saturday, volunteers planted 62 trees, but this was about more than mere beautification. Every tree honored a mother from the neighborhood, each one a woman whose volunteer work has made a difference in Westlake and Pico-Union, just west of downtown Los Angeles.