Another Record Breaking Year by Park Volunteers!

Words are not enough to thank our wonderful volunteers for contributing 87,736 hours of service to Parks in 2007!  In fact, 2007 is the second year in a row that generous residents and organizations donated a record-breaking number of volunteer hours to Parks. The dollar value of this precious commodity of donated time is $1,420,115.  However, the true value is more than money, it lies in the energy and commitment these people give back to our community-an investment of time and enthusiasm in our neighborhoods that provides a green legacy for our city. But if you ask our volunteers why they do it, their answer is given in much simpler terms- it’s for the love of parks.

Our year started the same as for many other organizations, with a list of numerous tasks to be accomplished in 2007, while faced with limited funding and the potential for budget cuts. Yet we were optimistic because we had just finished a great year of accomplishments in similar circumstances, thanks to the support of partners and friends who donated a record breaking 61,471 volunteer hours in 2006! But since the largest number of hours that year was for a one-of-a-kind project– building a huge, wheelchair accessible treehouse in Mt. Airy Forest– we reorganized and held a Volunteer Summit to try to repeat our volunteer success into 2007.  Thanks to the leadership and enthusiasm shared by our many partners, we not only sustained a high level of volunteerism, we broke our own record with an unprecedented jump to 87,736 volunteer hours in 2007!

It is truly phenomenal what we were able to accomplish thanks to our volunteer partners.   Efforts by residents, park advisory councils, businesses, Parks Foundation, schools and other community groups showed overwhelming support, instrumental in Parks being recognized by the Mayor and City Council as providing key basic services to our city.  Due to all of our hard work and the advocacy of our volunteers, Parks did not receive major budget cuts in 2008!

Highlights of 2007 volunteer projects and achievements include:
 

• Moeller High School sophomores held a retreat in Mt. Airy, and over 300 students assisted in the removal of honeysuckle

• The University of Cincinnati provided a group of students for several hours each month to clean Fairview Park
  
  
• Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy provided over 170 students to pick up trash, and remove honeysuckle at Mt. Airy Forest and French Park

• Clark Montessori students spearheaded several volunteer projects at Ault Park, Burnet Woods, and Incline Park

• Groups of St. Xavier High School students worked in Caldwell Park and Kirby Trail to remove honeysuckle

• Duke Energy sent 100 volunteers to renovate a fitness trial in Mt. Airy Forest

• In celebration of Martin Luther King Day, the national Service For Peace sponsored a project at Inwood Park where 300 employees from Sam’s Club and Wal-Mart spread mulch, removed honeysuckle, painted benches and did overall park clean-up

• Macy’s volunteers assisted with the Butterfly Show at Krohn Conservatory by greeting visitors, monitoring the showroom, and assisting with the butterfly displays.

• National City volunteers were also instrumental in facilitating positive visitor experience to the Krohn floral shows, including Butterflies Out of Africa.
  
  
• For an unprecedented second year in a row, the Marvin Lewis Community Fund chose a Cincinnati park as the Bengals NFL “Home Town Huddle” community service project.  Thirty Bengals players were joined by 250 fans, friends and corporate sponsors, who all braved the rain and ankle-deep mud to build a fitness play ground at Seasongood Square Park in North Avondale!

Cincinnati Parks is able to deliver outstanding park service thanks to our dedicated volunteers, to whom we say, wholeheartedly, THANK YOU!