Bette Midler Shares Touching Reason She Started Her Non-Profit | E! News

Bette Midler Shares Touching Reason She Started Her Non-Profit | E! News

Welcome back everybody. We are so excited to have a new edition of the sitdown with Bruce Bosy. Yes. Welcome back Bruce. Now I don’t know how you do it but you just scored an interview with the legendary B. Midler. Tell us all about it. I did. I did. It was amazing. I mean most of us are used to celebrating B for her showbiz career. But there’s something about that people don’t know which is the work she does for New York and the New York Restoration Project. I love it. Let’s check it out. know that you’re my her. There’s a lot of reasons to celebrate you in your life. Um there’s a lot of accomplishments and you’re an icon, but there’s something that you have done that when I found out it touched me so deeply and to be a part of this organization that you began 30 years ago, the New York Restoration Project. Can you talk to me a little bit about 30 years ago? I had spent a lot of time in Los Angeles. I moved to Los Angeles in 1976 and after the 94 earthquake, I moved back to New York. I said, “This town needs some TLC and I’m going to do it.” And I got a group together. In fact, some of the people are still with me. They love the work. They’re completely committed. We have picked up hundreds of thousands of tons of trash from public spaces. talk to us about where we’re at, what park we’re in, and how you got here. My first executive director said, “I’m going to show you where you should start.” He took me to a park on the other side of this part of town, Fort Triion Park, and it was scandalous. It was junk. He said it was prostitution. It was drugs. So, he said, “This is where we should start.” I said, “We’re starting.” We started, it took us about 10 years. He said, “I’m going to show you another place.” And he brought me over here. This is a public school uh that the children’s aid society with the city. They built this school right next to what was a vacant lot that people were using to dump on. So this was also full of garbage. And I said, “How many years?” And he said, “Oh, I think about five.” We put it together with the state. The state gave us the funding for this park. It has a learning garden. It has a water feature. It has a boat house. It has a genuine park where people just, you know, walk through. This is the 30th anniversary. It is. You started this in 1995. I’m very proud to be part of this organization, but it’s a big deal. How does that make you feel? I’m so thrilled. I cannot tell you because when we started, you can’t see around corners. You don’t know what’s going what’s coming down the pike. So, when I started, I thought, “Oh, it’ll be fine and we’ll I’ll hand it off in a few years.” I didn’t hand it off. I kept at it. And nonprofits typically, especially when they’re founded by one person, they don’t last. And this has lasted and thrived and done great work for 30 years. And I could not be the cra the staff, the field workers, the the the the seniors. It’s they are unbelievable. All right, Bruce, come on. I have a surprise for you. Really? Well, first of all, I want to show you this garden. This is the urban agriculture garden. And the kids come down here. They learn all about what goes into the ground, what makes food, what’s harvestable. Kids come in, they can take anything they want, and they just love it. Right now, the surprise is that in the 19th century, the chestnut tree was the most prolific and the most important tree in North America. Unfortunately, a a blight came and here we are more than 100 years later. We’re getting ready to bring the chestnut back and we’re trying really hard. We have a thousand chestnut trees challenge. You do? And why are Yes, we do. A thousand chestnut trees. We’re already close to 150. Wow. And you and I are going to plant chestnut babies. I’m planting a tree with B Midler. Dreams come true. We did it. We did it. Thank you for the honor. You’re so welcome. Oh, may it thrive. Okay, be honest. What was it like planting a tree with B. Midler? Well, it was amazing. It was 101 degrees. I kid you not. But it was one of the probably top highlights of my life. Is that why you wear the small shirt? Yeah. Well, you know, that was also a highlight for me watching all of it. Bruce, thank you so much for joining us and we’re going to see you soon. [Music]

E! News sits down with Bette Midler to discuss her commitment to her organization the New York Restoration Project. Tune in to E! News Mon – Thurs at 11 PM on E!
Full Story: https://www.eonline.com/news

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