HELP US BUILD THE ENCHANTED WOODS:
A NATURE PLAY SPACE FOR ALL
Imagine a play space built for wonder—designed not just to explore, but to transform how children play, learn, and grow. The Enchanted Woods at the Nature Discovery Center will be a vibrant, immersive nature play area and outdoor classroom where kids are meant to run barefoot, climb the tower, splash in the Lily Pad Pond, build forts from sticks, and discover turtles under logs. With features like tunnels, climbing towers, and the whimsical R.L. Cook Family Treehouse Classroom, this $2 million project is rooted in research on the power of nature play to boost creativity, confidence, and lifelong environmental stewardship. We’ve raised 60% of the funds needed—and with your help, we can bring the Enchanted Woods to life for the thousands of families who rely on this park each year.
Will you help us reach our goal and build something magical, right here in the heart of Bellaire.
Red Oak
$100,000+
Name plaque on feature and recognition at the Red Oak level & a lifetime NDC membership
Loblolly Pine
$75,000 – $99,000
Name plaque on feature and recognition at the Loblolly Pine level
Sugar Maple
$25,000 – $74,999
Donor wall recognition
Caddo Pecan
$5,000 – $24,999
Donor wall recognition
Bald Cypress
$1,000 – $4,999
Donor wall recognition
Yaupon Holly
Up to $999
Thank You to Our Generous Donors
as of 6/24/25.
Red Oak
Robert L Cook Charitable Fund
The Brown Foundation
The Cullen Foundation
The Elkins Foundation
The Fondren Foundation
Loblolly Pine
Debra & Christopher Patton
Sugar Maple
The West Endowment
The Wortham Foundation, Inc.
Patrons for Bellaire Parks
CenterPoint Energy
Caddo Pecan
Albert & Ethel Herzstein Charitable Foundation
Samuels Family Foundation
Norma Barnes
Shelley Starr
Meghan & Kenneth Lutschg
Kristen Buck
Sherri Chilivetis
Chetan Bachireddy
Betsy & David Black
Jennifer & Benjamin Cowan
Sarah Fernsler & William LeBoeuf
Sarah Flournoy
Patricia & Robert Lunn
Maria Martinez
John & Laura Moffitt
Jayne & Garrett Johnston
Bald Cypress
Henning & Christie Buchholz
Elizabeth Cosgrove & Cameron Smith
Susan & Kevin Golden
Randall & Kathleen Lake
Carol Beittenmiller
Chevron Corporate Match – Karl Poirot
Hanna Zaghloul
Rachel Cruz & Todd Auwarter
Polly & Stephen Fohn
John & Bridgette Goss
Gary Gray & Mary Ann Beauchemin
Aaron Hafer
Kim Jones
Sean & Joelene Monestier McKenzie
Deborah Neubek
Melissa Newton
Emily & Henry Owen
Karl & Marla Poirot
Lauren Snitzer
Daniel Sutton
Jaclyn & John Vivrett
Gigi and Brad White
Chase Findley
Yaupon Holly
Win & Johnnie Frazier
Linda & David Knowles
Whitney & Marc Lawson
Marilyn Wolfe-Kirk
James Robertson
Tania & Matt Campbell
David Murphy
Cookie & Ben Portnoy
Kristin & Kevin Berry
Candi Clement
Richard Ethun
Doreen & Michael Gallevo
Cynthia Kahle
Nancy & Jim Lomax
Sheryl Mills
Judy & William Murphy
DeAndra & John Ramsey
Meredith Symonds
Paula Auerbach
Mitra Economou
Milicent Goldschmidt
Wren Ripoll
Rosemary Confer
James L Rice III
