Kurtis has been a constant in Pease Park for two years now and if you have not had the privilege of meeting him in person, we’d like to introduce you to him here. Kurtis has been unhoused for some time now, but if this is all you know about him, there is much more to learn about his impact on the park and our Pease Park Conservancy team. The relationship our Conservancy team has with Kurtis has grown so that we now think of him as a part of our extended Conservancy family and he relies on us for daily companionship and a shared purpose. He has contributed more volunteer hours to Pease Park than any other volunteer in 2022, and we are incredibly grateful for his work.

It is with mixed feelings that we also want to share that Kurtis has decided to move away from Austin in the coming weeks. He feels he might still have connections in his previous home of Lebanon, Pennsylvania and since he lived there for much of his life, he might better be able to navigate the systems and services available to him. His daily presence in the park will be missed and we wish Kurtis a smooth transition as he makes this move.

In addition to the Conservancy helping with a bus plan and passes, I have set up a GoFundMe page for Kurtis and we have made an initial contribution to help him get started in his new city. If you feel inclined to help him as well, you can contribute here.