Carvings For A Cause Carvings for a Cause is a major project undertaken under the umbrella of Re-Tree WNY. Our goal is to re-plant Western New York neighborhoods, parks, and by-ways that were devastated by the October 12-13, 2006 storm. The Carvings for a Cause project was the brainchild of Therese Forton-Barnes, a Western New York event planner whose neighborhood is literally in the Olmsted Parks system and was decimated by the freak Buffalo snowstorm. Carvings for a Cause grew out of Therese Forton-Barnes’ passion for the tree-scape of her hometown of Buffalo and the overwhelming need to return the Western New York area to pre-storm condition. Many trees were hastily cut down to eliminate utility and roadside hazards and these “orphans” were quickly adopted by Therese with the idea that there may be some way to preserve these former living giants. After some research, Therese put a plan into action that will be inaugurated in January, 2007 that will make use of these tree trunks and help to re-plant trees all over WNY! The program is modeled after a project that was undertaken in Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada that has perfect application to this area. Carvings for a Cause will take these trunks and make large, life-size statues and other functional carvings "come to life" all over Western New York! Each Sculpture will have some historical or significant value to the Western New York area.