We’re Donating to The Trust for Public Land this Giving Tuesday

Every Spring my spouse, Rebecca, and I make a pilgrimage to witness an orchard of redbuds explode with color. Because of climate change, it’s easy to miss their peak color. Thankfully, this little gem is nearby. I can even make a daily check on the redbuds since there’s a UPS drop-off between them and Ikaria Design headquarters.

As the team at Ikaria was setting up the Giving Tuesday recipient this year, we were pleased to find out that The Trust for Public Land was instrumental in making the location of our redbud orchard possible at Stephens Lake Park. In 2000, when local “developers” were salivating over their commercial visions for these acres, The Trust for Public Land was there to help citizens realize a different future for Stephens Lake. The benefits since then have been immeasurable.

Not only has this urban green space enhanced the wellness as well as property values in the area, but it has also been the site of many community events whose benefits ripple out beyond our city. When the pandemic made indoor movies untenable, the park was the site of the True/False Film Festival, bringing the joy of outdoor movie viewing to independent films. This fall, Jon Batiste and Chaka Khan spent time in the park as two of the headliners for The Roots N Blues Festival. Every day folks find their wellness supported by Stephens Lake Park as they stroll and wheel through the uplifting landscape and connect with neighbors. The city has also integrated it into its vast network of bike and hiking paths.

Here’s a formula for long-term satisfaction. Choose an action that is in alignment with you and your community’s deepest values. Then position yourself downstream from that decision so you can observe and be inspired by what your community accomplished and the incalculable ripple effects of that choice. Then make a regular pilgrimage there. Let each visit remind you of what is possible, inspiring you to embrace the next challenge that circumstances are offering to your community.

The Trust for Public Land has helped to accomplish these choices many times over in hundreds of communities just like ours. Thank you for supporting Giving Tuesday and our opportunity to give back to them.