“When people have the courage to write a wish, they are one step closer to having it come true…–Alexandra Knight

In January 2017, Buzz writer Jennifer Oakley shared Alexandra Knight’s story in The Wishing Trees: In Pumpkin Park, trees carry dreams. Alexandra had been undergoing treatment for sarcoma cancer several years ago and, inspired by Shel Silverstein’s poem “The Giving Tree” and her two young boys, she started dreaming of trees that would create happiness. And then she came across a story on the news about a woman in San Francisco who transformed a tree in her front year into a wishing tree.

Alexandra looked out her front windows toward River Oaks Pumpkin Park and she envisioned Wishing Trees in place of a concrete slab that had once housed Cinderella’s Pumpkin Coach. An idea was born. Read the full story here. 

To this day, the Wishing Trees see visitors on a daily basis. The story behind the trees created further inspiration recently, too.

Cadette troop 25323 at St. John’s School, rising ninth graders working toward their Silver Award, decided to create a Wishing Tree at Texas Children’s Hospital. The Silver Award – the highest award a Girl Scout Cadette can earn – gives Cadettes the opportunity to work to improve the community. So the troop met with Alexandra to get her advice and thoughts on the project. The tree was recently planted at the entrance of the Department of Cardiology and open for all to write their wishes anytime.

Read more on the Wishing Trees here and follow the trees on Instagram at @thewishing_trees, Facebook at The Wishing Trees at River Oaks Park or see the website and email at wishes@thewishingtree.org.