In 2018, over 6,700 Park Pride volunteers completed 253 projects (building bridges and footpaths, improving trails, installing gardens, painting pavilions, mulching beds, etc.) in parks and along the Atlanta BeltLine. Taken together, their efforts equal a sweat equity investment of over $450,000. Thank you, volunteers, for your unwavering commitment to the greener good! We’re on track for another great year of volunteering in 2019.
Everyone deserves to live within walking distance of a great park or greenspace. Learn about the recent improvements made at two parks that are having a positive impact on their communities.
The 18th Annual Parks & Greenspace Conference, Parks are the Heart of Community, explored the power of parks to reflect culture and artistic expression while providing places to pursue healthy lives. Local and national experts and thought leaders challenged us to expand our ideas about access to parks and public spaces, shared insights into the research linking parks to our health, and invoked the power of parks to help achieve a more united, supportive, and connected community for people of all ages and abilities.
Communities across the Atlanta area are embracing the health benefits of nature.On April 28th, DeKalb County communities joined others across the country in the celebration of Park Rx Day, a day dedicated to bringing people together outside in their parks to enjoy the health and wellness benefits of greenspace.
The City of Atlanta recently advanced a single position to 42nd out of 100 in The Trust for Public Land’s ParkScore index, a move due in part to the increase in the number of residents who live within a 10-minute walk of a park – 66% last year to 71% this year.
When I heard that Park Pride was celebrating Earth Day with a volunteer project at Zonolite Park, I immediately signed up. I’ve watched the park transform over the years, and as a Park Pride board member, it was high time for me to get my hands dirty. Through this volunteer project, I learned firsthand the … Continue Reading →
As Atlanta’s population grows and the urban environment is developed, our access to nature and greenspace is at risk. What would we lose if we lost our connection to nature? What would that mean for our health and quality of life? And what role do urban parks play in maintaining that connection?
Imagine you’re a kid living in an apartment building in an area of town without access to a park. Where can you go outside to play that’s safe? “If the answer is ‘nowhere,’” says Park Pride’s Executive Director, Michael Halicki, “chances are you’ll just stay inside and play video games. We must do better for these kids, and thinking creatively about our public land is the answer.”
Kathryn Johnston Memorial Park is almost complete! View this short video of this transformational park project under construction.
Say hello to Helena Wright, the Community Building Intern with Park Pride this summer. From Newnan, Georgia, Helena is currently a student at Georgia Tech, majoring in Public Policy and minoring in Sustainable Cities and Technology & Management.”The joy parks bring is repaid in kind by the community caring for and maintaining the park.” – Helena Wright
