By Damien Lamar Robinson | Posted on August 1, 2017
Friends of Hemming Park, a nonprofit organization was contracted by the City of Jacksonville in 2014 to manage Jacksonville’s oldest public park. Since our inception, we implemented placemaking projects and brought regular amenities and programming to the park. Although great things have happened in Hemming Park, the park has also had some recent challenges.
By Brittany Quale | Posted on December 20, 2016
It’s hard to imagine that in nine months’ time, a vacant lot in the Dutch Kills area of Queens was transformed into a lively community garden to enjoy nature, promote healthy living, and engage local youth. Soon after being licensed and registered as a GreenThumb community garden, Windmill Community Garden’s development was set into high-gear with the help of the 2016 Disney Parks Build Community program.
By Cheryl Williams | Posted on September 8, 2016
"Please send me kids that can share my garden with the community," prayed Dana Caley as she stood on the soil that had previously not been successful as a community garden. Quincy Teen REACH was the answer to her prayer--a partnership which resulted in at-risk kids becoming gardeners and Dana's harvest being more than vegetables.
By National Recreation and Park Association | Posted on May 7, 2015
Baltimore City Recreation and Parks (BCRP) was one of 15 communities awarded a $10,000 grant for the Grow Your Park program. The grant benefits low-income families through the donation of the locally grown fruits and vegetables. BCRP utilized their grant funds for significant improvements to Rockrose City Farm, once a defunct ball field and now a flourishing community gardening space.
By National Recreation and Park Association | Posted on January 8, 2015
Through a generous grant from the Walmart Foundation, Out-of-School Time grants were offered for park and recreation agencies to increase the number of healthy meals served, incorporate evidence-based nutrition education, and implement healthy eating and physical activity standards into their sites.
By National Recreation and Park Association | Posted on November 8, 2011
The JD Rivers’ Children’s Garden is located in Theodore Wirth Park in north Minneapolis. Since it was built in 1982, the garden has provided programs for children and teens, horticulture therapy for people with disabilities, and intergenerational programming with recent immigrants.
By National Recreation and Park Association | Posted on November 8, 2011
The community garden program is operated by McAllen’s Parks and Recreation Department. It is located at the IDEA Quest Academy, which is a K-12 charter school for low-income children. The school is adjacent to one of the city’s community centers.
By National Recreation and Park Association | Posted on November 8, 2011
Topeka’s youth gardening program is located at the Oakland Community Center. Oakland is a low-income, predominantly Latino neighborhood that in recent years has experienced urban blight, including high crime and gangs.
By National Recreation and Park Association | Posted on November 8, 2011
Shreveport’s children’s and youth gardening program is located at the Valencia Park Community Center, one of 15 community centers that are part of the city’s Public Assembly and Recreation Department (SPAR). Valencia Park is located in a predominantly African-American neighborhood called Stoner Hill.
By National Recreation and Park Association | Posted on November 8, 2011
The City of Rockford’s Park District has had a focus on gardening since at least 1999, when the City of Gardens program was initiated. The City of Gardens focuses on urban beautification, reforestation, and gardening.
By National Recreation and Park Association | Posted on November 8, 2011
The Richland County project started with eight raised beds at the Crane Creek Community Center. The Crane Creek community is comprised of five low-income, predominantly African-American neighborhoods. The garden is part of the center’s after-school program, and children in second through fifth grade, 55 in all, work in the garden during the school year.
By National Recreation and Park Association | Posted on November 8, 2011
Reno’s youth garden is located at the Evelyn Mount Northeast Community Center. This center, which is located in a low-income neighborhood, hosts a Parks and Recreation program called Vacation Station.
By National Recreation and Park Association | Posted on November 8, 2011
Peoria’s youth gardening program is part of the city’s Park District. The youth gardens are located at two sites — the Proctor Recreation Center and the Logan Recreation Center. The latter is next to a private Lutheran K-8 school where the Park District also has a youth garden that operates in tandem with the Logan garden.
By National Recreation and Park Association | Posted on November 8, 2011
Pensacola’s community garden program is part of the city’s plan to improve the Hollice T. Williams Park as an urban greenway within Pensacola’s revitalization area. A three-acre area in the park was designated for a community garden in the recently completed park redesign plan.
By National Recreation and Park Association | Posted on November 8, 2011
The basic premise of the Park District’s children’s nature programming is that “direct exposure to nature is essential to a child’s healthy physical and emotional development.” The goals of the children’s gardening program are to give kids within a 30- mile radius of Pekin, located in the center of Illinois, a chance both to learn about the natural environment and to grow food that might otherwise be absent from the family table.
By National Recreation and Park Association | Posted on November 8, 2011
The Oxford Park Commission’s community garden program began several years ago when the Oxford Community Garden Association approached the Commission about starting a community garden on unused public land next to the city’s skate park. Located in a non-residential area, the garden now has 33 plots, totaling 14,000 square feet, including nine plots designated for youth.
By National Recreation and Park Association | Posted on November 8, 2011
Iowa City’s community garden program is located in Wetherby Park, a city park that serves neighborhoods in the southeastern end of the city. These neighborhoods are predominantly low income and multi-ethnic. The park is in the center of this area and is within walking distance for most residents.
By National Recreation and Park Association | Posted on November 8, 2011
Hunter Park, a 13-acre park on the east side of Lansing, is located in an economically and racially diverse neighborhood. About two-thirds of the population is white, 15% African- American, and about 12% Latino. One in 10 residents are foreign-born, with many from Cuba, Afghanistan, Somalia, and elsewhere in Africa.
