Stories

Mitchell was my youngest son. From a very young age, he was a performer. He made us laugh.

He was very smart, very handsome. And he had an ability throughout his life to capture people's attention. Son. Brother. Friend. World traveler. Accomplished scholar. A young man whose personal mission in life was to make the world a better place. That was Mitchell Burns, touching the lives of everyone he met.

He lived his entire life fearlessly. Always curious, always exploring and always excelling. Upon graduation from Boston College, Mitchell yearned to live abroad and moved to Berlin, Germany. One of the unique things about this incredible young man was his love for parks, trees and nature. He loved, of course, trees and the beauty of a park. But the human landscape of a park was what he was enamored with.

I think his favorite day was the day in a park. When traveling, Mitchell loved to visit public parks and green spaces. He was curious to see what kind of parks other cities had to offer to their community and their citizens to enjoy. Back home in Oklahoma City, Mitchell would enjoy parks all over the city, including Scissortail Park.

Michelle Furrer is the president and CEO of Myriad Gardens and Scissortail Park Foundations, organizations that have a strong partnership with the Oklahoma City Community Foundation. For many years, we have partnered with the Oklahoma City Community Foundation to really support these programs through some of our great donors’ enhancements, as well as some of the grants that we've been able to receive to maintain and make beautiful gardens and beautiful spaces for people. At OCCF, we’re bound to protect the intentions of the donors and make sure the fund does what it's supposed to do for many years to come.

In this case, we're making sure that the Mitchell’s Shade Fund will provide trees that will go into the community to honor people like Mitchell with other families. Sadly, Mitchell's life was cut short by a tragic accident, leaving a huge void in the lives of his family.

His parents wanted to do something to honor him, and they could not find a better way than to create what is known today as Mitchell's Shade. Under the guidance of Scissortail Park, the Burns approached the Oklahoma City Community Foundation to establish the Scissortail Park Mitchell’s Shade Endowment Fund. They wanted to make sure there would be funds available well into the future, that allows them to give away hundreds of trees each year to others who want to honor a loved one and are bringing more color to the world. And over the last two years, more than 2000 trees were given away to people across central Oklahoma and beyond.

We have an idea we're not too sure what to do with it.

And, the Oklahoma City Community Foundation saw something in it and got enthusiastic about it and have been incredible partners with us to this point, and will be for for many years to come. When the Mitchell’s Shade Tree giveaway is scheduled, people begin lining up early in the morning at Scissortail Park. One couple made the journey two years in a row to receive their trees, and were the first ones in line both years.

We thought, what a great opportunity to go down and help them honor their son and then continue that for our family for years to come. It's something that brings community together. It brings people together. It serves a mission and a purpose, and it helps Mitchell's family remember him. Everything about it is is good and pure, and I think we need some of that.

John and Melanie Burns see this program as a way to not only remember a loved one by planting a tree in their honor, but will also bring a little more color back into the world. Together, we can build a stronger, more supportive community for everyone. If you want to make a difference, join us. Your Oklahoma City Community Foundation will help you make it happen.

Last time I saw Mitchell, he said, “Dad, bring my mitt and your mitt. When we come, let's play catch.” Yeah, we played catch.