Artist’s ‘Giving Tree’ Honors Moms

Searching for a Mother’s Day present for the person who has everything?

The may have the perfect gift for the mother who has plenty of cologne, pot holders, candles, bric-a-brac, etc.

The Giving Tree is a mural designed and painted by local artist Leslie DeZiel and her family. Each leaf, depending on its color, represents a different personal quality: inspiration, strength, courage, self-esteem and empowerment.

“This is the perfect opportunity to recognize the people who have touched your life by making a donation in their honor,” said Ashley Brown, resource center executive director. “Each leaf will be added with a personal message chosen by you, and we will send a card to the person you are honoring.”

Leslie, also a teacher at , said she and her adult children and husband decided last summer to try something new for the Christmas season, instead of the traditional gift-giving.

“We love spending time together, and we were thinking Christmas was becoming a little too commercial,” she said. “We were looking for something to do for the community and Anne Francis, a volunteer with the resource center, asked if we would paint a mural.”

“The DeZiel family has a long history in supporting the Women’s Resource Center,” Brown said. “Allan and his sons Justin and Chris were part of a group of donors who created the Career Closet in 2006. The Career Closet is always busy providing clothes for women starting a new job, making a court appearance or attending a funeral. It is a life-saver for so many women.

“Mother’s Day and the Resource Center really go together,” Brown said. “The origin of Mother’s Day was in the 1850s when Mother’s Day Work Clubs were organized to focus on providing medicine for the poor and improve sanitary conditions. The exact needs have changed but there are still needs to be met, and that is what the Resource Center is doing today.

“Our mission now is assisting women, of any race or income level or circumstance, experiencing a transition,” Brown said. “It could be a job loss, divorce, death, raising teenagers or going back to work; we have something for everyone.”

For more information, call 941-747-6797 or visit www.wrcmanatee.org.