The City of LA Department of Recreation & Parks finished first place in a recent grant competition, securing a generous award from LA 2050 to jump-start its new Mobile Recreation Program. The program was planned to fund fully-stocked vans that would bring outdoor activities to schools yards opened by city recreation staff in high-need neighborhoods, providing kids with safe, healthy, and fun recreational opportunities after school and on weekends, according to the Los Angeles Parks Foundation, which will be the fiscal manager for the grant and is also seeking additional donors.
Since the pandemic, the program has been modified to visit LA city parks instead of LAUSD sites. City parks have seen record use since the pandemic. All activities will comply with the County Public Health guidelines and align with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). These modifications will provide a fun and safe environment for all participants.
“People love parks now more than ever and are using them now more than ever,” said Carolyn Ramsay, Executive Director of the Los Angeles Parks Foundation, which raises private funds to support our city’s park. “Our city parks are providing housing for our homeless neighbors, COVID-19 testing sites, day camps for children and soon will be providing safe outdoor spaces for students and families to go during school since schools are closed. As they have always done, our parks provide much needed green space for everyone, but now the demand has been so much greater.”
Ramsay told the Buzz that she hopes people will appreciate the work that is being done by the Recreation and Parks staff to keep parks clean and available to residents of the city.
“I hope that awareness and appreciation for our city parks is one good thing that comes out of this strange era that we are in,” said Ramsay who is always looking for funds to support our city parks.
Funds from the grant are likely to be released with a month, said Ramsay. In the interim, staff are investigating vehicles and equipment so they can be ready to go when the funds are available.
“These funds are coming at a great time because city budgets are really stressed,” said Ramsay.
If you want to help, you can support the work of the Parks Foundation in many different ways.
