Spring Cleaning and Tidying Up Around Our House

Partners for Parks has set out to do this year what a lot of us have done with our extra time at home lately – we’ve tidied up and organized a few things around the house. The fiduciary house, that is. “Over the years we’ve had funds, and now about a quarter of them are inactive, as projects were done or have been re-directed,” says Partners for Parks Treasurer, Al Brown. “We’ve gone through and deleted some of the accounts that are inactive, reorganized and renamed the rest, and re-listed them.” Since Partners for Parks is an umbrella for project-based donations, it makes sense for accounts to be organized that way, too, says Brown. So whereas before they were organized from A to Z — or, in our case, from Cornelius to Wesley Chapel — they now reflect the areas where they are working and showing results.

See the different funds you can connect with via Partners for Parks!

The core purpose of Partners for Parks has not changed — we’re still dedicated to Breathing Life into Our Community. However, our “community” of record has also grown and changed since our inception more than 20 years ago. We are still a non-profit that works in partnership with our neighbors to benefit our local parks. But, at the same time, our parks have grown in size and number, and now include popular greenways and recreation facilities that connect communities beyond the borders of Mecklenburg County. And just like in the beginning, we are here to facilitate great parks in the greater Charlotte metropolitan area. Two-thirds of our accounts still support the work of the Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department, but another one-third reach outside our traditional borders. For instance, Partners for Parks worked with shop owners in downtown Hickory to create a park and playground to entertain children when their parents shopped at an outdoor farmers market on the main square. In Wesley Chapel, Partners for Parks worked with local donors to develop and enhance Dogwood Park. Partners for Parks helped the Little Sugar Creek Greenway through Midtown Charlotte to be the scenic spot that it is. In fact, Partners for Parks has facilitated embellishments all along the greenways that make them a great place not just to ride, run, or walk, but to pull over and rest. There are similar projects in the works for municipalities like Cornelius, Huntersville, Troutman, and Cabarrus County. And who could forget Open Streets 704? Charlotte’s biggest one-day street party may be on hold for now, but it’s still the star of the show for Partners for Parks. And coming soon: The John Stevens Pickleball Center at Clarks Creek Community Park off Hucks Road. This special fund was put together through Partners for Parks to create memorial pickleball courts in honor of one of Charlotte’s most dedicated pickleball players and advocates, John Stevens. Partners for Parks worked with Stevens’ wife Gillian to support the courts, which will host its Grand Opening soon! There are now 75 projects rolling and ready to go at Partners for Parks. You can find one that suits your fancy, or beautifies your favorite spot, on our website. All of them are created, organized, and ready to help Breathe Life into Our Community.