PRESS RELEASE                                                                                                     Contact: Martha Sharkey

April 3, 2015                                                                                                                                          215-247-6696

Re-Tree Chestnut Hill Fundraiser at Carol Schwartz Gallery on April 17th  

Chestnut Hill Community Funds’s Green Space Initiative is raising money to plant nearly 60 trees in Philadelphia’s Garden District.

 

Philadelphia, Pa – April 3, 2015. The Chestnut Hill Business District announced today that Carol Schwartz Gallery will host a fundraiser on Friday, April 17th from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. to support the Chestnut Hill Community Fund’s (CHCF) Re-Tree Chestnut Hill Project, which will plant nearly 60 trees along Germantown Ave. and Bethlehem Pike starting this spring. Ten additional trees were already planted in the Fall.

 

Carol Schwartz Gallery, located at 101 Bethlehem Pike, is currently exhibiting the artwork of local artist, MF Cardamone. 20% of the proceeds will be donated to the Re-Tree Chestnut Hill Project from all sales of MF Cardamone’s Flora Fantastica exhibition, which is on display at the gallery April 1 – May 30, 2015.

 

The Re-Tree campaign is the inaugural project of The Green Space Initiative of the CHCF, which was formed to coordinate the restoration, maintenance and expansion of the commercial, residential and public green spaces in the neighborhood.  Over 50 years ago, a group of community members undertook a similar planting of ginko trees along the Avenue; it’s time to re-tree! Funded through events and contributions to the Chestnut Hill Community Fund, it presently consists of a working group of residents, business people and representatives from community organizations including the Chestnut Hill Community Association, the Chestnut Hill Business Association, the Business Improvement District, the Garden District Fund, Morris Arboretum, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and Chestnut Hill College. The Green Space Initiative has surveyed Germantown Avenue from Bethlehem Pike to Cresheim Valley Drive, has identified over 60 locations that would benefit from planting a new tree, obtained permission from the property owners and is now preparing to plant this Spring.

“We invite the community to join us on April 17th at Carol Schwartz Gallery to celebrate the opening of Flora Fantastica and support re-treeing Chestnut Hill,” said Jean Hemphill, President of the Chestnut Hill Community Fund.  “If you are unable to attend the gallery reception and fundraiser, opportunities are also available for community members and businesses owners to adopt a tree in honor of or in memory of family members, friends, or organizations. All donations make an impact on this important green space initiative.”

For more information, please visit www.chestnuthill.org/gsi/.

 

About the Chestnut Hill Business District

The Chestnut Hill Business Association (CHBA) is a membership organization for its 125 retailers and restaurants and more than 200 professional and sustaining members. The Chestnut Hill Business Improvement District (BID) is supported by commercial property owners with a mission to keep the Chestnut Hill Business District clean, safe, and beautiful. The BID also supports marketing efforts throughout the year. The Chestnut Hill Parking Foundation (CHPF) manages six parking lots throughout the Business District.

Chestnut Hill, located in Northwest Philadelphia and designated as Philadelphia’s Garden District, was selected by Forbes.com as one of the top seven urban enclaves in the country. Chestnut Hill was voted a Distinctive Destination by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and was voted Best Main Street Shopping 2012 by Philadelphia Magazine. For more information, please visit chestnuthillpa.com.

 

About the Chestnut Hill Community Fund

In 1972 several Chestnut Hill residents formed a charitable trust to raise money to support the programs of the Chestnut Hill Community Association and other organizations. This trust, known as the Community Fund, has conducted annual drives to raise funds for the upcoming year’s programs and various local community organizations and non-profits. The programs supported by the Annual Fund Drive enhance the physical beauty, safety, and quality of life in our community. Most of the organizations supported by the Fund were founded by and continue to serve us through the tremendous volunteer services of residents of Chestnut Hill and surrounding neighborhoods. 

 

About MF Cardamone

By blending elements of 18th and 19th-century botanical illustrations with the imaginative randomness of Dada and Surrealist collage methods, MF Cardamone creates playful interpretations of the intersection of nature, taxonomy, and popular culture. Cardamone collects plant specimens and combines them with images and words, resulting in complex visual narratives that reveal the science, history, and beauty of her subjects. http://www.mfcardamone.com/

 

 

 

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