Come Play!
 
We have recruited and trained an elite PlayCorps for Providence Parks. This summer, the Partnership for Providence Parks is partnering with Providence Children’s Museum and the City of Providence’s Department of Parks and Recreation and Healthy Communities Office to launch PlayCorps, a pilot program to activate Providence parks with play, art and creative exploration, in conjunction with the summer meals program.
Through August 14, teams of play facilitators will be stationed in five Providence parks to coordinate free play-based activities on weekdays from 11 AM to 2 PM:
Bucklin Park (West End)
Father Lennon/Camden Street Park (Smith Hill)
General Street Park (Wanskuck)
Harriet and Sayles Park (South Side)
Zuccolo/Pastore Park (Federal Hill)
For updates and activity announcements, follow PlayCorps on Facebook and Twitter.
"Back to Summer" Kick Off
Mayor Angel Taveras gathered with students from Mary E. Fogarty Elementary School at Harriet and Sayles Park on June 3 to announce a packed slate of summer activities for Providence youth. “This summer’s schedule of activities through the Providence Department of Parks + Recreation is one of the most impressive and accessible programs our city has seen in years,” said Mayor Taveras. “I invite all Providence families to take advantage of our new and expanded programs for children and teenagers to stay safe, engaged and learning all summer long.”
Thank you to Mary Fogarty School and students, Providence Parks and Recreation, Providence Children's Museum, Y on the Move, Healthy Communities Office, Helene Miller and Max Frieder, and the Providence Urban Wildlife Partnership for helping to kick off summer programming with Mayor Taveras.
Playful Providence Pop-Up Day at Play at Roger William Park
 
Wow! thanks to the over 500 people who came out to play on June 23 at Roger Williams Park. We are so grateful to Linda White, Helene Miller, DownCity Design, Y on the Move, Providence Children's Museum, Healthy Communities Office, Parks Department and Forestry, Increment Studios, ERB, Joe's Backyard Band, Noodle and Moose, Ness Star, and all 54 volunteers who came out to make the event spectacular. Providence knows how to play!
Volunteer at the Color Run 2014
This is the most fun you will ever have volunteering for an event and your time and energy will go toward supporting the Partnership for Providence Parks. Volunteer opportunities are available October 3, 4 and 5, 2014. Please email wendy@providenceparks.org if you want to help!
Check out all the free, cool, playful and healthy things to do in our parks this summer!
Celebrate Providence! Neighborhood Performing Arts Initiative - 2014 Smaller Sights and Sounds Schedule
Reading in our Parks Schedule
Fitness in our Parks 2014 Schedule
Moving Mountains
by Ivy Sokol
Moving Mountains, an organization dedicated to empowering urban youth through outdoor education, will be hosting its first ever free summer camp from July 7-19 in Roger Williams Park for students from Mount Pleasant High School and Hope High School. The camp will offer students an opportunity to learn wilderness preparedness skills, make new friends, and spend a night under the stars. Check out www.wemovemountains.org for more information about Moving Mountains!
Really Good Coffee
Support the Partnership for Providence Parks by voting at Blue State Coffee at 244 Thayer Street (inside Brown's bookstore) from July 1 to December 30. Blue State Coffee donates 2% of their total sales each year to local non-profit organizations, based on customer voting. The more votes for the Partnership, the larger the donation. They also have really good coffee!
Volunteer and Community Partners Appreciation Event
Park Friends and Community Partners, please SAVE the Date for the 2nd Annual Thank you for all you do event on Wednesday, November 19 from 5:30-8:00 at the Roger Williams Botanical Center. Please share with your community partners and friends or send wendy@providenceparks email addresses for all that you would like to invite. More details coming soon.
- The Landtrust Alliance Rally will be in Providence from September 17-20 and will be visiting Blackstone Park, Riverside Park, Roger Williams Park and Neutaconkanut Hill as part of a Natural Spaces in Urban Environments tour.
- The Color Run 2014 will be on Sunday, October 5 at Station Park.
- Second annual volunteer and community Partner appreciation event on November 19, 5:30-8:00 at RWP Botanical Center.
July Providence Urban Refuge Partnership Update
April Alix, Conservation and Education Coordinator
Summer is finally here! The Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership has been extra busy both here in Providence and in South County. I had the great opportunity to meet with Secretary Jewell from the Department of the Interior this month during her vacation stay in Rhode Island. She was extremely impressed by the work done in Providence by all of our local friends groups and park organizations. She supports the Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership efforts here in Providence and sees it as a great gateway to getting the urban youth of our city to appreciate nature around them.
I also was able to participate in a great hike with the entire 4th grade class of the Paul Cuffee School at Neutaconkanut Hill. In addition to smelling some stinky skunk cabbage, learning about ferns and observing many birds that call the Hill home, we also uncovered as Spotted Salamander! It was a wonderful surprise and a great way to end the year. With summer around the corner, I had the chance to work with the summer PlayCorps members as they made plans for all the activities they will be bringing to the parks in Providence! We did some fun activities outside that tied nature, learning and play into one great time! Finally, I would like to announce that the Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership website is officially launched! You can check out many of my adventures at the Providence Parks at http://providenceparks.org/urban-wildlife-refuge/.
Past Newsletters
Partnership Office is Open
The Partnership office is open at 11 West Drive. If you need meeting space, a place to archive your group's materials, a copier, or would like to borrow some pop-up play materials, contact Wendy at wendy@providenceparks.org.
Google Groups
Our tech Guru, Geoff Meek has set up a Google group so that we can chat directly with each other. Our discussion groups are here.
You will need:
- An account with Google (Gmail, etc.)
- To request membership to the Partnership for Providence Parks group.
Once your membership is accepted (takes about 1/2 day), simply respond to one of the existing topics, or click the "New Topic" button at the top of the screen.
Using groups is just like using email, with the benefit that all members can view and respond to your messages. The group is also searchable, so you can find out what has been discussed in the past.
If you haven't signed up yet, or are having trouble with it, let Wendy know.
Facebook
Keep sending us your events and pics so we can post them. Oh..please LIKE and FRIEND us. There are some great pics up now of park events and stories in the news. http://www.facebook.com/PartnershipForProvidenceParks
Grants Available
New England Grass Roots Environmental Fund
If you have or haven't applied for a grant through the New England Grass Roots Fund (NEGEF) www.grassrootfund.org you may want to check them out. They are a great first grant to apply for. I am happy to walk anyone through this process. Seed grants are available for new groups and Grow grants for more established groups who may have already received funding from NEGEF. Go for it!
The Partnership
The Partnership for Providence Parks is a new initiative of the Providence Department of Parks and Recreation. The Partnership is a city-wide public/private non-profit 501(C)3 geared toward helping residents and community partners help our parks be active, vibrant, healthy, playful and unique places.
To learn more about the Partnership, please visit www.Providenceparks.org.
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