We had a great time this Love Your Park Fall Weekend! This year, over 1,200 amazing volunteers showed up at 109 public parks around Philadelphia to prepare their neighborhood green spaces for winter and make a positive impact on our city. Based on the data reported so far, volunteers:
- Planted 226 trees
- Planted 39 shrubs
- Planted 2,900 flowers
- Collected 377 bags of trash
- Filled 1,964 brown bags of organic debris
Love Your Park is a twice-annual volunteer event organized by partners Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, Fairmount Park Conservancy, and the Park Friends Network. This fall, Gorgas Park in Roxborough hosted the signature project for Love Your Park Fall Weekend.
More than 100 volunteers joined Fairmount Park Conservancy, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, and the Friends of Gorgas Park for the signature site project on Saturday, November 15. All morning, teams of volunteers were hard at work raking leaves and fallen ginkgo berries, planting trees and shrubs, and spreading mulch. The event combined stewardship and celebration through music, food, and play activities. Volunteers even created a leaf pile for kids to enjoy jumping into!
The day concluded with a speaking program featuring Fairmount Park Conservancy’s new CEO Tony Sorrentino, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation’s Chief of Staff Darren Fava and Deputy Commissioner of Operations Susan Buck, Carlton Williams of the Office of Clean and Green, and founding member of Friends of Gorgas Park John Boyce.
None of this would be possible without support from our incredible partners. Sponsors Independence Blue Cross, Greenberg Traurig Law, PECO, and TD Bank all provided support to make Love Your Park Fall Weekend special. Weavers Way also provided an incredible array of pastries for breakfast for Gorgas Park volunteers!
Love Your Park is about more than cleaning up parks. It’s about celebrating community, caring for our environment, and making connections with our neighbors.
Conservancy CEO Tony Sorrentino visited 12 park projects over the course of Love Your Park Fall Weekend, and shared his experience on LinkedIn, reflecting: “I was profoundly moved by my fellow Philadelphians, building the city they want to live in one shovel, one sapling, one shared moment at a time.”
Here are reflections from some of our volunteers:
- “I had so much fun connecting with my neighbors and building up our community.”
- “I feel accomplished. I feel great that I have a chance to help my community. I will find another opportunity to help in the future.”
- “The event was well run with options given to match your skills and interest.”
- “Lots of fun, friendly folk, and great to contribute to the maintenance of our local environment.”
- “Fun and healing. It felt great to be in the city touching the earth and meeting new people. Looking forward to seeing the results in the spring.”
- “This experience was beautiful. My children and I enjoyed every moment of it from start to finish.”
- “It was a beautiful, crisp fall day and was great to be working outdoors on a project that will benefit other park users. I enjoyed good fellowship among our group of volunteers.”
Feeling inspired? Find more volunteer opportunities on our Volunteer page!
