Friends of the Park groups across the city are celebrating transformational park improvements made possible by Park Pride grants. Our grants are generously funded by The Woodruff Foundation (Legacy Grants) and The Home Depot Foundation (Community Building and Small Change Grants) and are matched at least 1:1 by the community.
Sara J. Gonzalez Park
The Legacy Grant awarded to the Friends of Sara J. González Park will support a complete park redesign, turning this underutilized space into a thriving community centerpiece with a playground, playing fields, and greater access to/from the surrounding community. A groundbreaking ceremony for this park—named in memory of Sara J. González, a pillar of Atlanta’s Hispanic community—was held in May. Families from the surrounding community gathered at the park for a hard hat tour of the new playground site. Sara J. González Park is the first park named after a Latino in the State of Georgia.
Henderson Park
A new kiosk and signage, both funded in part by a Community Building Grant, welcomes and informs visitors to Henderson Park’s White Trail. In April, the Friends of Henderson Park celebrated these and other amenities supported by the grant—including the trail’s redesign, erosion control measures, and stepping stones at creek crossings—at a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Blue Heron Nature Preserve
The Grist Mill Dam is a beautiful artifact that will delight visitors to Blue Heron Nature Preserve‘s Blueway Trail. A Legacy Grant will support the trail’s expansion along the habitat rich Mill and Nancy Creeks and will eventually connect to Chastain Park and PATH400. Blue Heron Nature Preserve kicked off construction of this new portion of the trail in April with a groundbreaking ceremony.
South Atlanta Park
The Friends of South Atlanta Park are very excited about the seating they’ve installed at their new playground through a Community Building Grant. When the Friends group gathered the community for a ribbon-cutting ceremony in May, kids and adults alike enjoyed testing the new equipment, including City of Atlanta Council Member, Carla Smith!
Noble Park
The Friends of Noble Park received a Legacy Grant to help fund landscape and hardscape improvements in the park, in addition to the installation of a new playground. The Friends hosted a groundbreaking ceremony during a neighborhood celebration in May in anticipation of the renovations.
Are you interested in spearheading a park improvement project for your community?
Learn how a Park Pride grant could support your efforts.