Friends of McMichael Park: March Maintenance

McMichael Park: March Maintenance 2018

main-te-nance: (noun) the process of maintaining or preserving someone or something or the state of being maintained. (synonyms) support, keeping, upkeep, sustenance

Spring is here and it's time again for McMichael Park supporters to come out, enjoy the fresh air, and “Love” our Park!

Over the past three decades, the Friends of McMichael Park (FoMP) have contributed countless hours and millions of volunteer dollars to our green space. The group’s commitment has transformed our six acre open space into your "community treasure.” Many thanks are due to our lifelong members who have consistently volunteered for various service projects over the years. Our annual Friends’ group activities include: park cleanup and beautification days, fundraising events, organizing and activating recreational and educational programming, advocating for park improvements, publicizing important issues, resource management and park advocacy. All to preserve our cherished “green space.”

Our efforts continue this year as we engage and gear up for Love Your Park/McMichael Park, 2018 scheduled for May12th. A rain date is scheduled for May 19th.

In keeping with Philadelphia Parks & Recreation initiative and renewed efforts to contribute 100,000 hours of volunteerism city wide for this year, our Friends of McMichael Park will likewise continue to contribute to the ongoing maintenance that is required of an open green space. Plans for LYP/2018 include: our annual clean up in the morning which will be followed by our children’s story hour and a new addition, the children’s music program. Once again this year, because of its success in 2017, the popular pet adoption with a number of pet adopting opportunities for all. LYP/2018 will take place on Saturday, May 12, 2018 in McMichael Park from 9am until 2pm. New this year we will provide a variety of food trucks for the volunteers, neighbors, and visitors.

Our Friends group continues to enjoy and appreciates the generosity of its many supporters but we continue to write grants for the basic needs that are required of any volunteer effort. Our diligence is showing results: the much needed renovations to the 1945 War Memorial will be completed in the Spring, 2018 with support from the office of Councilman Curtis Jones, Jr.. Our important and ongoing coordination with Parks & Recreation and our local community groups demonstrated in the beauty and elegance of the green space is well recognized and clearly visible to all who visit and partake of its serene charm. We have successfully raised and are grateful and appreciative of the generosity and magnanimity of our donors who have annually contributed to maintaining the park. Our volunteers have invested well over 100,000 volunteer hours of toil and sweat equity to transform our six-acre open space into a “Green Gem for All”.

What do the Friends of McMichael Park do?

Provide opportunities for specialized volunteer leadership;
Remove hundreds of bags of litter and debris every year;
Eliminate invasive plants and reduce non-sustainable flowerbeds, replace with low maintenance native trees and shrubs;
Advocate for Sustainable Open Space;
Advocate for better stormwater management practices, increased park accessibility and user safety;
Reduce: erosion, park-user conflicts, and maintenance costs for the benefit of all park users and the health of McMichael Park;
Activate outreach programs that create opportunities for people to experience the natural beauty of the park, learn more about the park and work with our Friends group directly, building relationships and understanding;
Provide an open and sustainable relationship with the East Falls Community for the benefit of all in a transparent, inviting, and engaging platform.

The “Friends of McMichael Park,” founded in 1990, has worked to restore tree canopy habitat, reduce erosion and stormwater runoff, and enhance the park user experience. Located in the East Falls community of Philadelphia at the intersection of Henry and Midvale Avenues, this six-acre park is visited by community, neighbors and visitors over 100,000 times every year. Park users are attracted to its natural beauty, historic neighborhood and open space vistas. In McMichael Park they can play, picnic, walk their dogs, run, birdwatch and enjoy the beauty of nature in a sylvan setting.

The Friends of McMichael Park: maintaining and improving McMichael Park since 1990. McMichael Park (a Philadelphia park since 1929).

Alexis Franklin
Coordinator of Friends of McMichael Park
(1990-present)
+1 215 327 1086