John,
Here is one more example of the inequity that pervades our society: Across the nation, more than 100 million people — including 28 million children — do not have a park within a 10-minute walk of home.
At The Trust for Public Land, we are doing all we can to level the playing field (pun intended).
For example, in 2017 nearly half the residents of Fresno, California, did not live within a 10-minute walk of a park … not surprising, given that the city’s per capita spending on parks was among the lowest in the nation at the time.
So we sat down with local people in public health, education, parks and recreation, social justice, and faith-based organizations to determine how to use existing resources to make the greatest difference in the shortest amount of time.
Attention turned pretty quickly to schoolyards — dozens of publicly owned, wide-open green spaces in some of the most park-poor neighborhoods that were sitting unused behind locked gates on the weekends.
Before California’s shelter in place order, the schoolyards in Fresno were used for yoga classes and walking groups, pick-up soccer games, concerts, and block parties. Opening up schoolyards for the community to use on the weekends made a measurable difference in park access: Fresno’s ParkScore® ranking had been 97 — 1-10 is good, while 97 is low — but moved up to 92 in this year’s ranking. Today, sixty seven percent of Fresno residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park.
If only all our undertakings were that simple … some of our projects take several years to complete — negotiating land deals, collaborating with residents and other stakeholders to design, fund, and build an outdoor space that meets the needs of the community — and require steady support from our members.
You understand how important parks are to our physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Your support has made possible our park projects in Fresno and across the country. Now I’m asking you to step up and make a tax-deductible gift of $35 or whatever you can afford to our work building parks and preserving land for people to enjoy.
Recent events have reinforced the importance of parks and open spaces, as well as a deep desire among Americans to make our country fairer and more equitable. This is your chance to help move us forward on both fronts.
Sincerely,
Kim Elliot
Director of Annual Giving
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