Colin Wallis' Fundraiser:
2017 Austin Parks Foundation
BENEFITING: AUSTIN PARKS FOUNDATION
ORGANIZER: AUSTIN PARKS FOUNDATION
EVENT: Austin Marathon 2017
EVENT DATE: Feb 19, 2017
THE STORY:
AUSTIN PARKS FOUNDATION wrote -
Austin Parks Foundation (APF) is dedicated to improving the quality of life for the people of Austin and Travis County by strengthening the region's parks system, which spans more than 29,000 acres. As a non-profit established in 1992, APF aims to fill the city's park funding gap by leveraging volunteers, philanthropists, park advocates and strategic collaborations to develop, maintain and enhance our city's 300+ parks, trails and green spaces.
What we need:
APF financially supports park projects large and small across the city because of the generous gifts we receive from the local community. With the funds we receive, we are able to ensure our parks are dynamic and adaptable, and that the needs of parks and all park-users are equitably met.
Our Impact:
Through our ACL Music Festival Grants Program, we have invested more than $2 million into Austin's public parks since 2006. In addition to our grants program, we work hand-in-hand with the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department to determine the needs facing our community and we invest our funds and time to have the greatest impact possible. Examples of these special projects include: Dove Springs District Park, Town Lake Metropolitan Park, Auditorium Shores at Butler Park and Republic Square Park.
We promote ownership and leadership of parks by connecting people to resources, partnerships and education through our Park Improvement Education Series and through volunteer work days like It's My Park Day, our biggest city-wide volunteer event where we deploy more than 3,000 volunteers into parks on one single day. All told, including labor, this one day represents an investment of over a quarter of a million dollars for Austin's parks.
Lastly, we activate our parks by encouraging use of public space through programming like Movies in the Park, Fitness in the Park and Imagination Playground.
