The Parks & People Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting a wide range of recreational and educational opportunities; creating and sustaining beautiful and lively parks; and promoting a healthy, natural environment for all.

Description:
The Parks & People Foundation is Baltimore's leading non profit organization for providing creative solutions to recreation and parks issues. Our vision is for a healthy, safe and beautiful environment for Baltimore's neighborhoods where people want to live, work, play and learn. Established in 1984, our mission is to support a wide range of recreational and educational opportunities, create and sustain beautiful and lively parks, and promote a healthy natural environment for everyone. In partnership with communities, other non profit organizations, businesses and all levels of government, we are innovators and advocates for environmental education and experiential learning; recreation programs, park development, restoration and maintenance; and urban resource management. Our current programs include the Gwynns Falls Trail Project, Partnerships for Parks, Community Forestry/Revitalizing Baltimore, Urban Resources Initiative, Baltimore Ecosystem Study, Watershed 263, Baltimore Baseball League, Baltimore Middle School Soccer League, Baltimore Middle School Lacrosse League, the Starlings Volleyball Program, SuperKids Camp and KidsGrow.

History:
Parks & People, the Foundation for Baltimore Recreation & Parks, was formed to address the unique, numerous and challenging problems of a large, older, urban recreation and parks system. Parks & People was created in 1984 to work in partnership with the Department of Recreation and Parks to raise funds, conduct research, develop new programs, explore opportunities with entrepreneurs and leverage in kind resources. We share a vision of beautiful and lively parks, a healthy natural environment and an abundance of recreation opportunities. We engage in a variety of activities to meet this mission including: coalition-building, constituency-building/ community organizing, fundraising, grant-making, monitoring, service delivery, education and training, organizational development and cheerleading.

Since 1984, The Parks & People Foundation has worked to improve the quality of life in Baltimore's neighborhoods. Our staff, volunteers and partners in the community have developed innovative solutions to issues facing our city including the restoration of our neighborhoods and their natural resources as well as the academic enrichment and motivation of our children. In order to realize our vision of a healthy environment where people live, work, learn and play, we have formed a strategy targeting two major fields of endeavor:

Great Parks, Clean Streams & Green Communities- Helping to improve the physical, social and environmental quality of neighborhoods through greening activities and forming networks among communities to sustain natural resources.

Motivating Youth- Programs nurturing children and supporting communities by working together to provide enriching activities for youth.

Contact people:

Jean Dubose, Assistant Director of Program Development, (phone), (email) Erin Shutt, Volunteer Coordinator, (phone), (email)

Address:

800 Wyman Park Drive, Suite 010 Baltimore, MD 21211 (See a map)

Directions:

From Downtown Travel northbound on the JFX (I-83). Take the 28th Street/Druid Park Lake Drive exit, number 7A-B/6. Keep LEFT at the 1st fork in the ramp. Keep RIGHT at the 2nd fork in the ramp. Merge onto West 28th Street.. . . (more)   Nearest Bus Stop: 27, 10 minute walk