An important aspect of building a strong and integrated community is welcoming public spaces. The volunteers with “Friends Of Grand Rapids Parks” are working hard to keep some of our most vibrant public locations clean, beautiful, and functional for all things involved with bringing neighbors together.

The work that the group does involves everything from fundraising to hands-on gardening. They work with contractors to address safety or functionality issues in the parks that arise, so as to keep them safe and welcoming to families and local residents of all ages. Their work with year round or ongoing projects such as the Parks Alive and Urban Forest Project employ volunteers to help with hands-on projects such as park clean-ups and tree planting and care. These ongoing campaigns keep the parks looking gorgeous year round while helping to bring the community of Grand Rapids together.

In addition to their ongoing projects, the Friends Of Grand Rapids Parks holds many annual events that also work toward their mission of maintaining and sustaining the parks in and around our city. Events such as their Green Gala annual event raise both money and awareness of the many benefits that residents can reap from the parks. Neighbors can come together with their summer series “Movies In The Park,” (which they present in partnership with another great local organization, Downtown Grand Rapids Inc.) as they enjoy six free films under the stars with their friends and family.

The work that the organization does spans all 74 city owned parks, and they work to make sure every single one of the nearly 1600 acres of Grand Rapids parks are beautiful, safe, and enjoyable for the residents of our city. Their work is only able to be done with the help of their many volunteers. Whether you’re looking for a great family day in the sun planting trees, or you’re ready to make a more long term commitment to keeping the city of Grand Rapids a vibrant and beautiful place to live, they’ve almost certainly got a place for you.

The Friends Of Grand Rapids Parks has been providing a great service to the community of Grand Rapids since 2008, and the growth and unification of the community has been undeniable since their efforts began. For years they’ve been bringing neighbors together with their events, raising awareness about the benefits of our green public spaces, and helping our city stay absolutely beautiful, and for that I offer them my most sincere thanks and gratitude.