Glorious Gardens in “Bette’s World”

Glorious Gardens in “Bette’s World”

By:  Hope Wilkos, Writer/Blogger

There is nothing more beautiful than New York City as the seasons transition from Spring to Summer. Central Park shows off flowers in full bloom, the grass is a deep and startling green and you seem to find everybody outside enjoying the simplicity of nature.

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Ironically, New York City is also a ‘concrete jungle.’  Skyscrapers reach up to the clouds and the sun bounces off the rooftops.  Luckily, New York City has one strong advocate for turning neglected, forgotten and abandoned areas within the city into welcoming parks, treasured spaces for children and gardens waiting to be cultivated.  Bette Midler is Founder of the New York Restoration Project .  Her non-profit organization reaches across 5 boroughs (Bronx, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Queens and Manhattan), energizing and reviving.  Midler decided to pursue her goal in 1994 after moving from Los Angeles back to New York. She settled into her Tribeca home and looked out the window to see debris, garbage and weeds. She decided that it was her job to begin the clean-up process, one area at a time.  Ever since that moment, gratification and satisfaction has come not only to Bette, but to residents all across the city as well.

Whether it be acting, singing or philanthropy, Bette Midler puts her heart and soul into any responsibility that she embarks upon.  Most importantly, her work inspires others.

Photo courtesy of Walter McBride

With each new year comes the annual Spring Picnic which is a gala event to raise funding to beautify the areas of the city that need that tender loving care and much in the way of attention.  Midler is always the star of the event with her bubbly personality and her uplifting humor.  Some of the transformations are incredible across the city.  Seeing before and after photos of specific areas in Harlem and Brooklyn where you could not even imagine landscape miracles, you may not even believe that it is the same location.  Bette rolls up her sleeves and takes pride in getting to that end product and over time, she has amassed hundreds of eager volunteers.

Photo courtesy of NYRP Facebook Page

It is definitely a close partnership with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, Bette and her staff, Americorps members and warm-hearted and caring volunteers.  In four New York City parks, nearly 133,000 bags of trash were removed to make way for greenery.  These transformations require work and ongoing maintenance.  The even larger goal is to plant one million trees by 2015 with over 840,000 trees already being planted.  They are well on their way. Even median strips are getting a makeover.

The Board of Trustees for the New York Restoration Project is impressive indeed.  Michael Kors is just one of the members that has stood behind the organization since its inception.  The board is made up of bankers, CEOs, CPAs, media moguls and a very diversified group of individuals that lead the efforts towards beautifying areas of land that, at one time, had no promise but now are some of the most desirable areas in New York City.  Those that get to reap the rewards are people like you and me that can attend NYRP events such as a Walking Tour through a waterfront park, outdoor Yoga classes, Arts in the Gardens: Shakespeare, informative and interactive workshops and enough to keep you busy all throughout the summer and straight into the fall.

Photos courtesy of Getty Images

Our youngsters will take over the nation of the future and NYRP  has come up with environmental education programs.  Teachers are provided with reinforcement and encouragement to take environmental education one step further.  This, in turn, promotes leadership, teamwork and respect for others.  One of the primary missions of NYRP is to get the kids out of the classroom so that they can get closer to nature and take advantage of all that the outdoors has to offer.  The planned field trips are the best way to accomplish that and to get them involved in .

Photo courtesy of outdoorafro.com

You too can make a donation or fund your very own tree, become a corporate partner and participate in the New York Restoration Project’s Spring Picnic and the famous NYRP Hulaween event.

Happiness is more than just a state of mind, it is being able to surround yourself in nature’s beauty.  This is what a green, sustainable New York City is all about thanks to Bette Midler and the New York Restoration Project.