Word is spreading about the power of parks across the Atlanta area—thank you for raising your voice and sharing your passion for greenspace! As a result, both the City of Brookhaven and the City of Tucker have joined the Park Pride family. Prior to their incorporation as cities, Park Pride supported Friends of the Park groups in both jurisdictions.
After Brookhaven’s incorporation in 2012, Friends of the Park groups (using Park Pride’s advocacy model) banded together as the Parks & Recreation Coalition (PARC) of Brookhaven to serve as a united voice for parks. In addition to playing a coordination role between all the Friends groups, PARC also laid the groundwork for Park Pride to develop a relationship with the City of Brookhaven.
“Having Park Pride return to our community is like a reunion of familiar friends,” said Sue Binkert, Chair of PARC of Brookhaven. “PARC’s members and the city will benefit from having Park Pride’s expertise to leverage community efforts, thereby advancing and enhancing the quality and function of Brookhaven’s parks.”
The City of Tucker incorporated in 2016 and took over management of their parks from DeKalb County earlier this year. During the intervening time, the Friends of Tucker Parks remained committed to the greener good of their neighborhoods by hosting volunteer workdays, organizing community events, and completing park improvement projects.
“Park Pride is exactly the type of partner we need to improve the level of service to our community and to really reimagine what Parks and Recreation can be in Tucker,” said Tucker Parks and Recreation Director, Rip Robertson.
The expansion of the Friends of the Park Program gives groups in Brookhaven and Tucker access to the tools and resources that support community-led park improvement efforts, including capacity-building workshops, the Park Play Library, the Fiscal Partners Program (which allows Friends groups to raise funds without the burden of forming a nonprofit), and the Volunteer Program.
We look forward to connecting further with the leadership and communities in both cities, strengthening our relationships with existing Friends of the Park groups, and helping neighbors establish new groups. Join us as we extend our warmest welcome to the communities and parks of Brookhaven and Tucker!