Red Oak Trees for Aaron

Cheryl Rogers is organizing this fundraiser.

Donation protected

The young man in the picture is Aaron Ross Weir. He was deeply loved by his family, friends and co-workers. Aaron was in an traffic accident in Austin, TX on November 3, 2018 and lost his life. Being a registered TDL Organ Donor, many donations were rapidly made to help others in need. Aaron was like that in his everyday life.

Aaron had the warmest heart, never met a stranger and was very much loved by us all. I thought I knew how wonderful he was until I talked to some of his friends at an "after service" wake and then read all of their Facebook comments. One talked about how Aaron befriended him after seeing him being bullied and picked on. Others shared stories of Aaron's kindness and support in difficult situations.

Aaron graduated from Arbor Christian Academy in Amarillo and Texas Tech University in Lubbock. Completing his BBA in Entrepreneurial Business Management in three years. Aaron was definitely a die-hard Red Raider fan!

Aaron passed away a month before his 28th birthday. His Mother and Aunt planned a small memorial on December 5th, his birthday. As a young boy, he and his sister often played in Memorial Park on Washington Street. He loved the outdoors and found his sanctuary there. He was happiest when he could hike, bike or rock climb. When our family planted a Red Oak, we knew he would certainly approve. Each season of watching his tree grow will be both a comfort and cherished memorial. Aaron is the inspiration for what we call the "Red Oak Project."

Pictured below are Aaron's Mother, Aunt, two Uncles and cousin. We bought the Texas Red Oak tree planted behind us in Memorial Park, because 1) Red Oak as in Texas Tech Red Raiders and 2) it is highly recommended as drought-tolerant/disease-resistant.

Amarillo's weather is a challenge for everything that grows here. The high winds, the wide range in temperatures and variance of rain doesn't allow too much greenery which is why the Spanish Conquistadors named these golden high plains in the Panhandle, Amarillo (Spanish for yellow). We are not known for our forests. Many early settlers planted a number of trees like Elm, Mulberry, etc., which are not drought-tolerant nor disease-resistant. As the Elm and other trees die out, arborists have been recommending/replacing the dead trees with trees that have proven to be drought-tolerant and disease-resistant, like the Texas Red Oaks and Desert Willows.

This is what each Texas Red Oak tree will look like fully grown:

Go to https://goo.gl/images/Z1hj2Y to see more images.

Our Goal is to purchase 100 Texas Red Oak trees. We put up this GoFundMe page for two reasons:
1) To provide many years of beauty for everyone living in or visiting Amarillo and our public spaces .
2) To expand the Tree Memorial for Aaron and to help others in our community who want a similar Tree Memorial for their loved one.

Plans for the Donations:
1) These trees need to be in the 30 gallon bucket size because they will be planted inside our various parks. Smaller trees would sustain too much accidental damage.
2) 30 gallon sizes cost just under $300 (including state sales tax) per tree. After purchase, movement and planting is being provided free of charge by a group interested in helping our parks repopulate with the right kinds of trees for the Panhandle. Any amount would be appreciated, it will all add up no matter what you can afford to donate!
3) 100% of all donations will be used for the purchase of trees only!
4) Best planting times are now through May, 2019, so please donate NOW!

My name is John Windham and I will be in charge of final expenses.
We hope this GoFundMe page is successful enough to do several more times because after the 2011 drought and months of temperatures in excess of 100 degrees, I was told that our parks lost over 1,200 trees. So, PLEASE DONATE WHAT YOU CAN AFFORD, WHEN YOU CAN!!

Thank you for your generosity and support,
The Aaron Weir family

Donate