On the South Side of Chicago, squeezed between a railroad track and an alley, lies a scrap of long-neglected land, once an illegal dump site but now a blossoming urban oasis. Nurtured by the volunteer efforts and contributions of community members, students, and church youth groups, Eden Place Nature Center also has another benefactor — well-known Chicago musician Dave Green.

Photo courtesy of Dave Green.

Dave stands as one of the nature center's staunchest supporters, though he's admittedly unfamiliar with ecology. "I don't know a tulip from a rose," he laughs, flashing a broad smile.

"I just do what I can," he modestly explains, shifting his lean frame and lifting his long hands skyward. And that, in fact, is quite a bit. Dave and his wife LaVerne are the largest financial benefactors of both Eden Place Nature Center and its parent organization, Fuller Park Community Development (FPCD). Twice annually for the past ten years, Dave has donated his services to draw guests to fundraising dinners and an annual Gospel Fest. Tapping into his vast network of contacts, Dave recruits fellow musicians to donate their services and join him on stage.

Known as "The Chicago Piano Man," Dave is an accomplished self-taught jazz pianist and vocalist with a long career performing in Chicago-area venues, from the Civic Opera House to piano bars, shopping malls, and restaurants such as Toulouse and Palette's. He's toured the country with the Ebony Fashion Fair and performed at the Smithsonian Institute. Clad in tuxedo and trademark bowler, the 74-year-old musician entertains audiences with a repertoire of over 2,000 songs. Only a less-than-straight nose and an athletic grace betray his first occupation — boxing. Before becoming a professional musician, Dave boxed for 11 years, fighting over 70 bouts and serving as Sugar Ray Robinson's sparring partner.

Residents of the far South Side, Dave and LaVerne are driven by their faith to help give people a hope in life. They share that passion with Michael Howard, a fellow member of Grove Heights Baptist Church and executive director of FPCD.

Eden Place, begun as an attempt to bring nature into a community without much habitat, has grown into much more. It serves as an outdoor learning area, a community gathering place, and a visible indication of community renewal.

"It's something fresh, something that's never been done before," declares Dave. "We're making a new community with new ideas."

Planted in soil paid for by Dave, the re-created prairie and restored savanna at Eden Place offer school children opportunities to learn about their heritage and the environment. The DuSable Trail winds past the Mighty Oak story tree, a Che-Ca-Gou American Indian wigwam, and Hope Mound, a place of inspiration and reconciliation constructed by high school church groups from the largely black Fuller Park neighborhood and the nearby, largely white community of Canaryville.

A capital campaign will raise funds to create a wetland planned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and a new multipurpose community center to house FPCD and provide a permanent home for Eden Place. Seeing the impact Eden Place and FPCD have on the community, Dave is pleased to support their expansion. "That's something I got an urge to do. I like to see something happening," he says.

Two summer fundraisers held at Eden Place have recently pulled the community together, an accomplishment in a neighborhood where crime can keep people indoors. Struck by her husband's zeal in playing a game at the Family Fun-Festival/Fashion Show, one young woman marveled, "I was raised in this community, and we've never had anything like this in Fuller Park."

The free Jazz Festival lured older residents with the promise of superb entertainment in a safe, local venue. Dave spearheaded entertainment, recruiting bassist Cecile Savage, drummer Michael Thompson, and saxophonist Ron Salter.

"Eden Place is part of the whole," explains Dave, referring to FPCD's other initiatives including housing counseling and development, adult tutoring, job training, racial reconciliation, lead pipe removal, and a resource center featuring computers, video production equipment, and a library. Dave helps here too, recruiting job training students, buying uniforms, donating books, giving motivational talks, and providing bus fare. But Dave's greatest contribution, accord-ing to Michael, is that "he has served as a surrogate father to many young men."

"A lot of people's lives have been changed by what's happening here," says Dave. Indeed, the work at Eden Place is healing lives as it heals the land.

— Cindy Mehallow

The Eden Place Nature Center features prairie and wetland landscapes. Local schools conduct nature studies and class outings at the center. For more information, call (773) 624-8686.