We all know fall is that time of year when we take a break from the sunshine and extra-long (and fun!) days of summer to spruce up our yards and get them ready for winter. Whether you’re raking leaves, mulching gardens, or planting spring bulbs, the extra effort keeps your surroundings looking good year after year.
Our parks are no different. They need some love, and Partners for Parks is chipping in with extra hands to make light work in a park on Charlotte’s west side. They’ve spent three Saturdays with neighborhood volunteers to weed and mulch gardens at Lincoln Heights Park.
“Through the Lincoln Heights community, we learned the ladies who run the community garden needed help winterizing it,” says Emily Condon, Secretary of the Partners for Parks Executive Board. “We rounded up volunteers and weeded the gardens. The County brought in soil and tools, and we topped off gardens and placed cardboard on top to keep out the weeds.” Placing drip lines on top of the cardboard made them easy to access for growing in the spring.
Reaching out and creating relationships in underserved communities is Partners for Parks’ continuing mission as park equity is revealed as part of a larger equity conversation. The garden cleanup partnership was conceived as one of many events on the west side because of relationships formed with west Charlotte communities this year.
“We want to make sure Partners for Parks has a meaningful impact in the community through parks and open space,” says Beth Poovey, President of Partners for Parks’ Board of Directors. “It has always been important for Partners for Parks to ensure that we meet the needs of our community, especially communities of high need, and improve access to quality park space. We are working with these communities more to find out how we can help with their needs for park and rec and open space.”
During a backpack giveaway at the park in August, Partners for Parks Board Members noticed the community gardens were overgrown. They met with the neighborhood association president, Thelma Byers-Bailey, and learned that neighbors could use some help with the beds. Their inquiry led to the workdays that cleaned up the gardens!
“It feels great. It’s a great way to spend a Saturday morning, improving a public space and helping a community that wants to improve their area,” says Condon. “The relationships we’re forming as we help them are a lot of fun.”
This project is a good example of the relationships Partners for Parks is forming with west side neighborhoods to benefit parks and communities. Our vision is: To Breathe Life Into Our Community and Parks Build Community.
