The Magnolia Tree Earth Center of Bedford Stuyvesant, 677-679 Lafayette Avenue, held its annual fundraiser on site last Tuesday evening with an elegant salute to the institution’s great history as it celebrated new foundations current leaders are establishing — against the odds. The Rev. Dr. Divine Pryor served as Host for the evening, with Wayne Devonish, the Center’s Board Chair, directing.

This year, the Center is continuing its quest for funds to completely restore the landmarked three buildings and preserve the internationally known grandiflora, New York City’s only living landmark, which those edifices protect from north winds. Community local groups, leaders, residents, and pols like environmentalist Senator Kevin Parker, following in the steps of the late politician Al Vann, to grantors like the Mellon Foundation, are contributing to keeping New York City’s first community-grown Earth Center alive and illumined for the next generations, Rev. Pryor opened the evening with a prayer by Minister Dr. Sheneaqua Coco Purvis of First Corinthians Baptist Church, followed by a rousing welcome from Magnolia Board Vice Chair Astor Cousins.

Devonish officiated the awards presentations and appreciations with sincere comments about the support Magnolia continues to receive and the reason the work is so important. Appreciation awards were given to the Brownstoners of Bedford Stuyvesant, represented by Attorney Renee Turner-Gregory and community activist Evelyn Collier; Eric Edwards, locally grown and now internationally known founder and president of the Cultural Museum of African Arts housed at Restoration; T.J. Wilson, Community Board 3’s Parks, Arts and Culture community chair, and Achielle Tenkiang, Senior Program Associate, The Mellon Foundation.

Special Presentations to Magnolia Tree were made by 500 Men Making a Difference’s Board Member, Calvan Clark, $1,000, and the Bedford Stuyvesant Lions, $5,000. Lion Lottie D. Shannon, president of the Bedford Stuyvesant Lions, announced the funds would go to a real need at the Center, the restoration of the decades-old mural of the Center’s founder, Hattie Carthan.

State Senator Kevin Parker presented glowing words and a check for $250,000 to the center. Those words and more on Magnolia’s Earth Month event will be presented in a future edition of Our Time Press.