That to be human is to long for the divine while walking through a world that often feels like exile.
We are born with an ache for beauty, love, and connection—but placed in a world that breaks those things again and again.

Benches of NODA

Hanging wisteria Nests

Stone Gardens

Good Luck Tiki /Totems of NODA

Community Garden

Holidays in NODA

Planted Gardens of NODA

Wood Decorations in NODA

Street Cleaning Projects

Curb Painting Inititive

Handmade wooden bench beside a paved sidewalk
Man smiling beside a gray dog
Purple flowers planted around a roadside stone

16 Years - +$150,000 Personally Invested- One Man’s Mission to make a difference - NODA — One Bench, One Totem - One Act of Kindness at a Time.

Colorful hand-painted face on a carved wooden tiki totem
Shops and sidewalk along North Davidson Street in NoDa
Rustic wooden fence and garden lights at night
Decorated neighborhood garden with red lights at night
Two wooden bench seats with visible natural grain
Hand-carved wooden decoration with a heart-shaped opening
Black lantern hanging beside a wooden post
Painted wooden tiki totem on a neighborhood sidewalk
Cash App donation QR code for Steve Chickillo

 

That to be human is to long for the divine while walking through a world that often feels like exile.
We are born with an ache for beauty, love, and connection—but placed in a world that breaks those things again and again.

Welcome to NoDa Nights, a living love letter to the North Davidson community. For over a decade, I’ve poured everything I had into this neighborhood—building, cleaning, planting, and protecting it, not for praise, but because it matters. This site is here to share that journey and invite you to be a part of it.