HOOT Plant Pride On Parsons

Plant Pride on Parsons Avenue
Revitalization Project in Columbus, Ohio

Certificate of Appreciation awarded to Phyllis Gibbs and Heart of Ohio Tole Painters for the painted flower pots

Collage of the painted flower pots

Neighborhood Inprovement Project of the Year trophy

HOOT participated in the Keep Columbus Beautiful program "Plant Pride On Parsons" in May 2010. The "Plant Pride On Parsons" project is continuing in both 2011 and 2012, and HOOT has again chosen to participate. Members of HOOT painted over 50 flower pots for 2011 and will paint 20 flower pots in 2012. To see pictures of the 2010 and 2011 painted flower pots follow the links below:

2010 Painted Flower Pots

2011 Painted Flower Pots

The Plant Pride on Parsons Sneak Preview Event was held on May 15, 2011 for the unveiling of over 50 new hand-painted flower pots by Heart of Ohio Tole painters. Below are some candid shots of this year's reception and fundraiser.

Plant Pride on Parsons 2011 Sneak Preview Event	Reception table
Phyllis Gibbs, CDA displays her Valvoline flower pot	Partial display of painted flower pots

HOOT received a very pleasant surpise at our March 2011 chapter meeting. Sherri Palmer with Keep Columbus Beautiful and JoAnne St. Claire with the City of Columbus, Department of Development presented Phyllis Gibbs on behalf of our chapter with a check for $4000.00 which was a stipend requested for Heart of Ohio Tole for the work done by members of the chapter on flower pots for "Plant Pride on Parsons Avenue" through a grant received from the Columbus Foundation for this project.

Left to right: Sherri Palmer, Phyllis Gibbs, and JoAnne St. Clair. with a copy of the $4000.00 check

From Sherri Palmer with Keep Columbus Beautiful....

"We have just learned that Plant Pride on Parsons has been awarded 1st Place in the 2010 National Keep America Beautiful Awards for Beautification!" Sherri congratulates all who have worked hard to make this a success! The photos at left show Sherri Palmer with Matt McKenna, President of Keep America Beautiful and the 1st Place Award for Beautification.

To read the article about this award, follow this link:

Plant Pride National Award

Even in the winter, the flower pots are decorated for the season. Marianne Nordmoe painted this pot which is shown with the luminaries around it during the Ganther Place tree lighting December 18, 2010.

HOOT was part of an award winning effort on August 18, 2010, at the Franklin Park Conservatory's "Growing to Green Awards and Harvest Celebration". The Plant Pride on Parsons project won the Neighborhood Improvement Project of the Year Award. The award was presented by First Lady Frances Strickland, and consisted of a trophy, a certificate from City Council, and a check for $250.00. The money will be put toward maintenance. Special thanks was given to Sherri Palmer at KCB for applying for this recognition as well as thanks to all the people and organizations who helped make it all work.

Our Chapter received an email from Sherri Palmer, the Program Director of the Keep Columbus Beautiful Project and we responded. We took delivery of the 31” diameter, 25” high Flower Pots, and had workshops at 2 locations to work on designs. Our Artists took the Pots home to complete and return in time for the May 12th Press Conference with Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman. All 28 Flower Pots, as well as 3 done by area school children were all on display at the South Side Settlement House, where the Press Conference took place. Several of our Artists were also present.

The Flower Pots were placed and planted on the Parsons Avenue corridor by Saturday, May 15th, 2010. This is the area of Parsons Avenue which extends from Livingston Avenue, south to Route 104.

The following Heart of Ohio Tole Chapter members shared their time, talent and creativity to this Community Effort and are very pleased to have had a role in this project:
Nancy Bateman, CDA, Rodneyann Bensman, Anita Bergman, Jayne Blevins, Carol Cline,
Sharron England, CDA, Kathy Fellows, Sharon Gauthier, Phyllis D. Gibbs, CDA, Judy Hughes,
Kathleen Jones, Helen Maurer, Angie Miller, Marianne L. Nordmoe, Suzanne Olson, Mary Provens, Betsy Queen, Johanne Stogran, Barb Stroble, Susan Vivoli, Alicia Wooten-Cherry,
Nancy Young, and Elizabeth Zeller.

We hope you will take a drive down Parsons Avenue to view them.

Below is a photo of Phyllis Gibbs presenting Mayor Coleman the flower pot that was painted for him as well as a photo of some of the painted pots

Phyllis Gibbs and Mayor Coleman