Support Sought for S. 24th Street Tree of Life Project
June 01, 2008
Editor’s Note: This is the seventh in a continuing series of entries from the first Omaha Catalogue of Urban Design Philanthropy, a compendium of strategic giving opportunities that focus on the city’s natural and built environments. The Omaha Catalogue was published in December 2007 by Omaha by Design and the Omaha Community Foundation. It has attracted donations from Omaha’s philanthropic community at both the foundation and individual level, including a $10,000 gift to the Big Garden. For more information on how to donate to a project, contact Connie Spellman, director of Omaha by Design, or Sara Boyd, vice president of the Omaha Community Foundation, at 402.342.3458.
The Tree of Life, a 36-foot steel sculpture designed to honor the diversity and culture of South 24th Street past and present, is on its way to taking root.
The South Omaha Neighborhood Alliance (SONA) kicked off its Tree of Life campaign June 5 at the organization’s annual community awards banquet. The sculpture, to be erected just south of 24th and L streets, has received a $25,000 donation from Cox Communications and an additional $4,000 in donations from the June 5 event.
The tree icon is common to the ethnic groups that call South Omaha home. The sculpture will feature cut-metal pendants honoring timeless cultural icons. It’s part of a larger project launched by the City of Omaha, in collaboration with local businesses and residents, to turn S. 24th Street from L to Q into a vibrant ethnic townscape.
To date, traffic has been reduced from four to two lanes. Curbside diagonal parking has been added, and the streetlights at M, N, O and P have been replaced with four-way stop signs. Beyond the tree, the corridor will feature colorful tile and varied paving, uniquely designed streetlights, ample seating, and a restructured plaza at 24th and N that is conducive to holding special events.
The total estimated cost of the Tree of Life is $150,000. To help raise funds for the project, SONA is selling bricks that will be placed at the base of the sculpture. The cost is:
- $100 – Family
- $250 – Neighborhood Association
- $500 – Organizations/Businesses
To make a donation or for more information, contact Crystal Rhoades at 402.561.7569 or crhoades@mail.unomaha.edu.
The overall streetscape project has received long-term funding from city block grants and numerous private foundations, including First National Bank, Bank of the West and the ConAgra Foundation. Private funded is needed to complete the project between L and N streets.