Exciting News!

Highlights from Love Your Park Week Spring 2024

by Grace Romo on May 22, 2024

This year’s Love Your Park Week was a huge success! From May 11 to 19, over 1,000 incredible volunteers took action across Philadelphia to clean up and care for 110 public parks. Volunteer crews collected trash bags, composted bags of leaves, and planted trees and flower bulbs!

Love Your Park city-wide cleanups happen twice a year in partnership with Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, Fairmount Park Conservancy, and the Park Friends Network. Starting with just four groups, the Park Friends Network has grown to over 140 and spent the last 31 years ensuring Philadelphia parks are clean, welcoming, and beautiful spaces year-round.

This spring, Stinger Square in South Philadelphia hosted the signature project for Love Your Park Week. More than 100 volunteers and PowerCorpsPHL corps members joined Fairmount Park Conservancy, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, and the Friends of Stinger Square to help prepare the park for the busy spring and summer seasons by planting trees and flower bulbs, raking leaves, mulching, sweeping, and picking up trash.

The day concluded with a speaking program featuring the City of Philadelphia’s Director of Clean and Green Initiatives Carlton Williams, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation Commissioner Susan Slawson, Fairmount Park Conservancy CEO Maura McCarthy, Ph.D., TD Bank Senior Relationship Manager Amy Derstine, and Friends of Stinger Square member Derek Hixon.

Following the speaking program, attendees dedicated a tree in honor of the late Irene Russell, who served as President of The Friends of Stinger Square for many years, as well as her brother George Scott who was dedicated to caring for the park and its flowers.

To all the committed volunteers in Philly who came out to love their park this spring – thank you!

Check out some photo highlights below:

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Louis I. Kahn Park (@kahnparkphilly)

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Cresheim Trail (@cresheimtrail)

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Palumbo Park (@palumbopark)

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

Photography by Albert Yee.

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