Nov. 19, 2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MITCHELL’S SHADE ANNOUNCES SEEDS FOR HOPE SCHOLARSHIP COMPETITION

OKLAHOMA CITY – Today, Mitchell’s Shade – a partnership with Scissortail Park that provides

trees free of charge to the surrounding community – launched Seeds for Hope, an art-based

scholarship program and contest for Oklahoma City students.

Seeds for Hope will launch this year at John Rex Charter School, a Title I school near Scissortail

Park, and award financial scholarships to 3rd through 8th grade students for their post-high

school education. To apply, participants must submit original artwork of a tree, accompanied by

a creative writing essay about the tree’s significance. Applicants can also work in pairs to submit

the art piece and essay; for those students, if awarded a scholarship, the amount awarded will

be split evenly between the pair. The deadline for all contest entries is Friday, Feb. 14 at 10

a.m.

“The art and essay can be about the participant’s love of trees, nature, or simply in honor of an

important person or memory. We hope the roots we put down with Mitchell’s Shade and now

with Seeds for Hope continue to connect us all to nature, to this city, and to each other,” said

Melanie Burns, co-founder of Mitchell’s Shade.

While the scholarship prize is only available to 3rd - 8th Graders, students in Kindergarten

through 2nd grade can also participate for a chance to receive a Tree-Growing Kit for their

school. If a school has 10 or more entries into the K—2nd Grade division, that school will

receive three free trees at Mitchell’s Shade Community Tree Giveaway in April 2025.

Applicants will be divided into four divisions based on grade: K-2nd; 3rd-4th; 5th-6th; and

7th-8th Grades. The K-2nd division may have up to three winners, and all other divisions will

have between one and two winners. The Mitchell’s Shade committee will judge all entries and

winners will be announced in April at the Mitchell’s Shade Tree Giveaway at Scissortail Park.

All 3rd-8th Grade participants, regardless of the results of the art and writing competition, will

have the opportunity to apply for a scholarship from Mitchell’s Shade during their senior year of

high school. However, winners of the art and writing competition will be strongly considered.

Each winning recipient can access this scholarship after graduating high school. These

scholarships can provide as much as $6,000 or more in educational support. The money will be

sent directly to the college, junior college, or career tech of their choice for tuition and other

school expenses.

The scholarship must be applied for in the student’s senior year and claimed within one year of

graduation. Details and information about the Seeds for Hope initiative can be found on our

website at mitchellshade.com or on the Scissortail Park website under the Mitchell’s Shade/

Seeds for Hope tab.Participants will be provided with an entry form and paper for both the artwork and the essay.

Submissions that do not use the provided paper will not be considered. The art must cover the

entire paper, and the drawing must be in color. Essays should be between 150-200 words.

Black ink only. Participants in the K-2nd Grade division may write just a sentence or two, but the

students must handwrite all written submissions in each of the four divisions.

ACCEPTED MATERIALS: Markers, watercolors, colored pencils, crayons, colored pens, acrylic

or oil paint. NO CHALK, NO SKETCHES, NO MIXED-MEDIA; ART MUST BE TWO

DIMENSIONAL AND IN COLOR.

All submissions will be displayed at the second annual Mitchell’s Shade Tree Giveaway at

Scissortail Park, scheduled for April 2025.

ABOUT MITCHELL’S SHADE

Mitchell’s Shade is a partnership with Scissortail Park in Oklahoma City. Its purpose is to

provide trees free of charge to the surrounding community. Mitchell’s Shade was born to honor

our son and brother John Mitchell Burns. Our experience grieving his untimely death taught us

that many individuals or families were also in search of a suitable way to honor, celebrate, or

memorialize loved ones and major life events. In some cases, we found that limited personal

finances restricted their options for creating a lasting commemoration. The Scissortail Park tree

giveaway is designed to both honor Mitchell’s great love for public parks and to provide a shade

tree to those searching for an appropriate memorial. Mitchell was passionate about nature and

its accessibility to all. He lived his life promoting the ideals of inclusion, acceptance and

accessibility. The trees you plant will memorialize his commitment to diversity and inclusion, the

elements easily found within the beauty and permanence of public parks. For more information

visit https://mitchellshade.com/.