Park Pride

10/13/2026

Whether your Friends group is brand new or well-established, a strong foundation helps your group thrive!

With Park Pride and experienced leaders from our Friends of the Park network, this interactive workshop will explore group roles, goal-setting, shared leadership, and long-term sustainability. Leave with practical strategies and fresh ideas to strengthen your group and prevent volunteer burnout! Click here to register: https://ow.ly/To0g50ZW210

10/12/2026

🗓️ SAVE THE DATE for Park Pride's 2027 Parks & Greenspace Conference on Monday, March 22! This year's theme is Community Powered Parks.

Parks exist for the benefit of communities. The best and most loved parks owe their success to a combination of players: the individual park user, community groups, design professionals, volunteers, nonprofits, donors, the private sector and government. This year, we’re celebrating the collaborations that turn greenspace into community space. 💚

Do you have an interesting case study, story or idea at the intersection of parks and community? If so, we invite you to apply to present! The deadline is Monday, November 23, at midnight. Click here for details: https://ow.ly/jtjq50ZWtFU

10/09/2026

Strong parks start with strong, connected groups! Join fellow park stewards for a virtual, peer-to-peer conversation focused on what it takes to build and sustain an engaged Friends of the Park group.

Come ready to share your wins, talk through challenges, exchange ideas and strategies, and more. You’ll leave with fresh ideas, new connections, and practical takeaways to help strengthen and engage your Friends group! Click here to register: https://ow.ly/pGtE50ZVEqW

10/09/2026

We had a wonderful time at Chosewood Park for our October Second Friday Walk (featuring chalk art by Sidewalk Sassy)! 🍂

Led by the Friends of Chosewood Park, Atlanta Beltline, and Patrick Hand of Integrated Land Design, we learned about the Friends group's incredible stewardship efforts, exciting Beltline updates, and the improvements that continue to shape the park.

Our walk took us along the newly constructed loop surrounding the water feature near the residential developments before exploring the park’s more natural, wooded trails, which brought us back around to the new playground. It was a great opportunity to see how community stewardship and thoughtful park improvements and trail connections are helping make Chosewood Park a special place for neighbors to gather, explore, and enjoy nature.

Join us next time on Friday, November 13 at Little Nancy Creek Park in North Buckhead!

10/08/2026

Missed us in person? This is your chance to stay connected!

If you weren’t able to attend an in-person orientation (or you joined us and could use a refresher), join us virtually for one final Friends of the Park Orientation! Meet the Park Pride team, learn about updates to our programs and offerings, explore resources available to your Friends group, and get connected to the support you need for the year ahead.

Click here for details and registration: https://ow.ly/SmSo50ZV8eU

10/07/2026

We're thrilled to welcome the next class of the Park Stewardship Academy — 12 park leaders working in greenspaces across the City of Atlanta, DeKalb County, and the City of Brookhaven!

Over three months, they'll dig into advocacy, event planning, fundraising, working with elected officials, and much more. By the end of the program, these park champions will have the skills and resources they need to improve their parks and make them even more well-loved.

Meet the class:
🎓Sherry Bellille – Rodney Cook, Sr. Park
🎓David Garcia – Shoal Creek II
🎓Rick Johnson – DeFoor’s Ferry Park and Warren Road Park
🎓Caitlin King – White Oak Park
🎓Khalifa Lee – Klaus Park and Preserve, Herbert Greene Nature Preserve, Tatum Lakes & Adamsville Triangle
🎓Carla “Annie” Moore – Lindsay Street Park
🎓Darci Parken – Springbrook Park
🎓Rebecca Reese – Red’s Farm Preserve
🎓Dave Siegler – Blackburn Park
🎓Erica Smith – Piedmont Park
🎓Columbus Ward – Four Corners Park
🎓Wanda Whiteside – Cleopas R. Johnson Park

Read more in our latest column on SaportaReport:

Read The magic is the people: Meet the 12 greenspace champions in Park Pride's 2026 Park Stewardship Academy by Park Pride for SaportaReport here.

10/06/2026

Join us THIS FRIDAY for a one-hour walk at Chosewood Park! Bring your coffee and walking shoes as we explore this hidden gem in Southeast Atlanta and learn how recent improvements (a new playground, nearby development, and growing connections to the Atlanta Beltline) are shaping its future.

Click for details and to let us know you're coming: https://ow.ly/bZxr50ZTA42

10/06/2026

Don't miss the final in-person Friends of the Park Orientation tonight in North Atlanta! We are also hosting a virtual orientation on Monday, October 12. See you soon!

What a great way to kick off our Friends of the Park Orientation series! 🌳

Last week, Friends of the Park leaders from West and South Atlanta joined us for an evening of learning and conversation about what's next for their parks. One attendee called it "informative, clearly presented, and highly engaging from start to finish."

Missed it? We have FOUR more orientations this fall across Atlanta, Unincorporated DeKalb, and Brookhaven. Come meet fellow park stewards, connect with the Park Pride team, and leave with resources to support your park. Friends members are welcome at whichever session works best for them. 💚

👉 South DeKalb, Sept 28 at 6pm: https://parkpride.org/event/friends-of-the-park-orientation-south-dekalb/
👉 North DeKalb/Brookhaven, Sept 29 at 6:30pm: https://parkpride.org/event/friends-of-the-park-orientation-north-dekalb-brookhaven/
👉 Central Atlanta, Oct 5 at 6:30pm: https://parkpride.org/event/friends-of-the-park-orientation-central-atlanta/
👉 North Atlanta, Oct 6 at 6pm: https://parkpride.org/event/friends-of-the-park-orientation-north-atlanta/

09/30/2026

Help shape what's next! DeKalb County is updating its Parks and Recreation Master Plan, and they want to hear from you.

Join DeKalb County Recreation, Parks & Cultural Affairs to learn about the update, share your ideas, and help shape priorities for parks, recreation, and community spaces across the County!

Two dates. Same topics. Same information. Attend whichever meeting works best for you! See flyer for details.