It's October, which means it's time for our annual FriendsGiving donation drive. Our theme this year is: Give Today for Tomorrow, and our donation goal is $7,500. We have a bright future ahead for Titanic Memorial Park and some exciting new projects.
First, though, let's look back on all we've accomplished in the past year. Through generous donations, amazing work by our volunteers, and ongoing support from our great partner, the National Park Service, we achieved a lot!
- 110th Anniversary Events - We commemorated the 110th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic with Stories of Bravery, Tragedy, and Survival, Ranger talks in the Park, and a wreath laying ceremony on April 14th. Volunteers helped at our information table as well as setting up and taking down displays.
- 110th Anniversary Gala & Tribute - We were thrilled to see so many of you at our wonderful Gala & Tribute at the Arena Stage, complete with a Titanic-inspired menu and fascinating speakers. We also raised about $5,000 for signage in the Park!
- Tile restoration - after a pandemic-induced interruption, the Park Service's skilled masons restored the tiles in the South Play Area. Tiling work is now complete throughout the Park. This work brings back one of the original features of the park, which looks great and is also engaging so many neighbors as a place for exercise and play.
- Landscape Maintenance - our dedicated landscape crew added new plants to the Demonstration Garden and planters, pruned azaleas and rose bushes, and weeded and watered as needed.
- Bench Maintenance - we returned to regular bench painting after COVID interrupted our activity. The benches really need an annual coat of stain, and our volunteers came out in force for our two events this year to re-paint the benches. The Park Service also fixed a few rotted slats on the benches as issues were discovered.
We hope you share our pride in the accomplishments of the past year. We have more exciting plans for restoration of the park in our future. All this work isn't possible without your support and generosity. Over the next few weeks of FriendsGiving, we will be sharing more about our future plans. Stay Tuned - and donate today!
NPS Update
A tree in the P Street Alley suffered wind damage, with a sudden, deep split in its trunk, and had to be taken down. As always, we hate to see one of our precious trees go, yet we really appreciate the Park Service Arborist and tree crew quickly examining the tree and removing it once it was deemed unsafe. We will talk with NPS about replacing the tree.
Corinne Irwin, Chair
Friends of Titanic Memorial Park
Proud partner of the National Park Service