JoJo get's a shout out in Park Pride's Newsletter!

Taken from Park Pride's Spring 2008 Newsletter.

director
As some of you may know, Candler Park is my park. It’s where my
family swims; plays touch football, baseball & tennis; runs around the
playground and enjoys the annual Candler Park FallFest.
It’s a great park, only two blocks from our home, and we love it. We
have planted trees there, landscaped a new entrance, and spent many
weekends clearing underbrush, spreading mulch and picking up trash.
However, as I have dedicated more and more time to Park Pride, I
have given less and less time to Candler Park.
This winter, I met Jo Jo Ross, a fairly new resident, who runs
“Operation Boot Camp” in Candler Park. She is ready to take up the
slack and lead the community efforts in our park. While I always
focused on physical improvements, Jo Jo wants to focus on small,
informal programs that bring folks into the park – bird watching,
movie nights, stargazing and environmental education, especially for
kids.
Our contrasting approaches highlight a choice that all friends of
the park groups face: how best to direct the time and effort of its
members and volunteers. Jo Jo wants to strengthen the Candler Park
community by bringing residents together for fun activities in their
parks. I, on the other hand, am an adherent to the Park Pride Tee
Shirt motto: “Beautiful Parks Require a Little Dirty Work.”
The good news is that there is room for both approaches – and both
benefit your park and your community. Even better, Park Pride has
programs and resources to support residents however they are engaged
in their park.
To learn more about these resources, simply contact Park Pride, or
attend our conference, or take our parks tour and see what other
communities are doing in their park.
You probably will be surprised at all the resources, know-how and
support that are there to help you make a difference.
George Dusenbury