Community Spotlights

Relive Love Your Park Fall Service Day in 25 photos

by Melissa Romero on November 18, 2021

On Saturday, November 13th, 1,396 volunteers celebrated the 12th annual Love Your Park Fall Service Day in 95 Philly parks!

At this year’s signature site, Elmwood Park in Southwest Philadelphia, the newly-formed Friends of Elmwood Park and community came out to clean and green the 7-acre park, raking leaves, mulching trees and planting bulbs – all to help prep the park for winter. The volunteers were joined by Mayor Jim Kenney, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, and Fairmount Park Conservancy.

Grace Bell, one of the co-founders of the new Friends of Elmwood Park, said, “Today means so much to us. This park has such a rich history, but we want to focus on the Labor Monument that was built to represent the working class of Southwest Philadelphia, as we continue to grow and make this park a beautiful place for our community. We really appreciate all the work people put in today, including the children who for some of them planted their first tree today. And just having those hands-on outdoor activities that so many of us were not able to have for so long.”

It was a special day for the park, which just established the new Friends of Elmwood Park as part of the Philadelphia Park Friends Network, which is made of 130 park and community garden volunteer groups across the city. Philadelphia Parks & Recreation and Fairmount Park Conservancy host a citywide cleanup in all of Philly’s parks twice a year in partnership with the Park Friends Network.

Mayor Jim Kenney recognized the dedication and efforts of the volunteers at Elmwood Park: “This is the heart of your neighborhood, where everybody plays and things happen. We do appreciate your efforts. You have other things to do on a Saturday morning, but you decided to come out here and make this place beautiful. I wanted to personally thank you for all of your work – it’s a beautiful thing to see.”

Maura McCarthy, Executive Director of the Conservancy recognized the volunteers at parks all across the city for coming out to love their parks: “We know that it’s the people that make parks so great. And it’s you, volunteers, who are so incredibly essential to this work. Please know that your hard work today and every day to love your park does not go unnoticed.”

Across Philly, volunteers dedicated their Saturdays to loving their park:

…and SO much more! Relive the magic of the largest Love Your Park Fall Service Day to date in 20 #loveyourpark photos from parks all across Philly!

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Friends of FDR Park (@fo_fdrpark)

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by The Rail Park (@therailpark)

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Riverfront North (@riverfrontnorth)

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by CGP (@carpentergreenpark)

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Gold Star Park (@goldstarparkphilly)

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Krista Heim (@krista.heim)

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Rep. Mary Isaacson (@repmaryisaacson)

Love Your Park is made possible with the support of the Knight Foundation, TD Bank, PECO, and Deer Park. 

To get involved with your neighborhood park, please visit loveyourpark.org.