HOUSTON, TX – Last year’s drought was a killer to Memorial Park– literally. More than 20,000 trees died.
Many of them are still there as a sad reminder, while the park waits on funds to plant new trees. Local artist Mandy Shefman decided to do something about it.
“I love Memorial Park and I play softball there. And I saw all the dead trees behind one of the fields, and it really struck home,” said Shefman, “so I wanted to do something to bring the community together to take action.”
And that she did! Mandy called on her fellow artists to donate their work for a fundraiser at Mixed Emotions Fine Art Gallery she Suess-fully dubbed “Art for Trees, If You Please.”
“I just really wanted to get people’s money outta their pockets and into the Memorial Park Conservancy’s pockets,” she said with a smile.
That’s got to make conservancy chairman Jim Porter happy. He knows firsthand it’s one of Houston’s most-beloved treasures, “Over 10,000 people jog in Memorial Park every day. 60,000 play golf (there) every year.”
“That park is vital to this city,” said Shelly Arnold who volunteered at the “Art for Trees” fundraiser Tuesday night. “That park’s the heart of this city. It’s the central part of this city, and I wanna be a part of helping it.”
The guy known as the Walking Tree of Life wanted to help, too. He did so by posing for pics in his 10-foot tall “Tree Man” costume with the many generous donors at the event.
Mandy hopes to raise $10,000 to reforest Memorial Park. As of Thursday, December 13th, she’s got about $7800, but it’s not too late to help her reach her goal. Click here to check out the “Art for Trees,” and buy it… if you please.
Mandy’s made it so easy, but she’s quick to say it wasn’t just her work, “It is the businesses in this community and the individuals and the artists that made this happen.”
But Mandy, as Dr. Suess might have said…
Don’t discount your part
In rounding up art
And the folks with the cheese
That’ll pay for these trees.
