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Community Corner

Penn Hills Mom Builds Treehouse in Children's Memory

Amy Pasterak, along with the Pittsburgh Parks Conservatory, is developing plans for a treehouse in Frick Park, to be built in the memory of her deceased children.

On April 6, 2009, Amy Pasterak received the news every mother dreads.

Her ex-husband, Dr. Steven Ambrusko, called to tell her that their 6-year-old daughter, Kate, and 4-year-old son, Peter, had tragically been killed in a car accident on the way to his home in Buffalo, New York.

They drifted off of the highway somewhere between Erie and upstate New York, crashing into a ravine. Both children were pronounced dead at the scene.

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Pasterak’s head swam with thoughts of all the things she never did with, or for, her children while they were alive.

"And that's when I thought of the treehouse," Pasterak of Penn Hills said. "Kate and Peter always wanted me to build a treehouse for them, and I never could."

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She set out to remedy this and memorialize her children by giving them what she couldn't while they were still alive.  

Partnering with the Pittsburgh Parks Conservatory, she began planning the construction of Kate and Peter's Treehouse in Frick Park. The project, now in full swing, got off to a shaky start due some opposition in the neighborhood of the original proposed location in Turtle Park in Regent Square.

"I didn't understand why anyone wouldn't want something like this in their neighborhood," Pasterak said, "But, I didn't want to force it on them and build it whether they liked it or not—I want people to be excited about it."

The residents near Turtle Park worried about heavy traffic and a high volume of people coming into the neighborhood due to the treehouse. They went to their councilman with the complaints, and shortly after, Pasterak began scouting for a new location in Frick Park. The new spot, right by Frick Environmental Center, turned out to be the perfect fit.  

"There are a lot of trees that have fallen down in the new location, and it's nice that we can re-use that wood for the treehouse," she said. 

In addition, the Environmental Center will be able to incorporate the treehouse into outdoor environmental classes and activities for its summer camps. The treehouse will be made of mostly natural materials and reach up high into the trees, allowing children a new perspective on nature.

In the past few months, a series of public meetings has been held in order to conceptualize the design. Children built their own miniature treehouses out of tree stumps and recycled materials. Community members visited the site to visualize the treehouse and make further design suggestions.

The project is funded through personal donations and public fundraising events. More than 600 people have supported Pasterak’s cause. 

There are updates about Pasterak and the treehouse on her blog, Callapitter (what Peter used to call caterpillars), which she started in 2009, after the accident.

“It’s incredibly cathartic,” Pasterak says of her blog. “It helps me to feel less alone and I’ve met a lot of other moms who’ve been through the same thing as me.”

Pasterak’s blog reaches an international audience, with viewers in Australia, Scotland and Iraq.

Construction of the treehouse is expected to begin this upcoming spring. It’s been a long road for Pasterak, but once complete, all will be worth it.

“It’ll be nice to know there will be something permanent for my kids, so that they’re never forgotten,” Pasterak said. “And it’s also something other kids can learn from and enjoy.”

If you’d like to donate to Kate and Peter’s Treehouse, click here.

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