Tess is Love Bench Project

Co-organized

Mary Newman Hardin and Nancy Kirkwood are organizing this fundraiser to benefit Tess Senay Raynovich Art and Earth Fund.

Tax deductible

TESS IS LOVE Bench Project needs you!

***Update: we are overwhelmed with the love for Tess and her family! We met our goal in less than 24 hours! Although it is permitted and often done, we will not increase our goal amount. However, please consider helping us fund a bench in 2021 and 2022 by donating past our goal for this year. Can we reach $5000?

It was 8 years ago this month we lost our beloved Tess Raynovich. Since her tragic death in 2012, her beauty, talent and memory has been kept alive through the TSR Art & Earth Foundation. Tess's family is truly grateful to everyone who has contributed to the Foundation since its inception. In years past, we have celebrated Tess's life on her birthday in May with the "Lift a Glass to Tess" fundraiser. This year, like so many other events in 2020, the event had to be cancelled due to Covid-19. The foundation was still able to award the annual scholarship fund but without the proceeds from the May fundraiser, they were unable to meet the other goal of installing a "Tess is Love" bench in 2020.

October is always an especially difficult month for Tess's family as the anniversary of her accident approaches. In speaking with my sister, Nancy, over the last few weeks, I've tried to think of any way to help her through the coming month. I know how much the TSR Foundation means to her and I also know that installing a Tess is Love bench would be a bright light in the darkness of this past year. Please consider donating if you are able (donations are tax-deductible). Our goal of $2500 will cover a bench for 2020 and help us towards the goal of a bench in 2021.

Thank you so much!
- Mary Newman Hardin (Tess's Aunt)

TESS IS LOVE BENCH PROJECT STORY

Several years ago Vanessa German, artist & activist, put out a message that the Art House, a community space for art & peace that she created in Homewood, a neighborhood of Pittsburgh, was in need of a bench. We admire Vanessa German for her art and for the love and inspiration she gives to the Art House, so we donated a beautiful big bright red bench to the House. The house is covered with a beautiful mosaic that the community made together and the words "Tess is Love" are on the front steps next to the bench.

This unexpected remembrance of Tess meant so much to us. It stuck with us. When we participated in Pitt's PARKing Day it was a natural fit to have a bench, but we also wanted to bring the spirit of the Art House to the project. Tess's aunt, Anne Newman,jumped in to donate the bench. We wrote "_______is Love" on strips of recycled material.On the day of the event we asked people to fill in the blank and tie their strip on to the previous strip,eventually weaving everyone's love definition together on the bench. We had a great response and it was beautiful. This stuck with us also.

Diana Schwab, one of our board members, noticed that in Tess's hometown the benches that had been at the bus stops had been removed and suggested that we donate a bench to promote public transit along with giving to the community. Our goal is to install a "Tess is Love" bench each year.

Thanks for supporting the Tess is Love Bench Project!