Our New Board Member: Evette Pittman
We are delighted to share that Evette Pittman will be one of our newest board members! We have brought on 3 new board members as a part of our 16.3 million dollar initiative to support Grand Rapids Parks, Urban Forests, and Trails. Evette, who will be supporting Friends as an event specialist, is committed to […]
Our New Board Member: Mary Maier
With great excitement, we are announcing Mary Maier as one of our newest board members! We have brought on 3 new board members as a part of our 16.3 million dollar initiative to support Grand Rapids Parks, Urban Forests, and trails. Mary, a Grand Rapids local, is passionate about the community and wants to make […]
Our New Board Member: Richard App
We are thrilled to announce Richard App as one of our newest board members! We have brought on 3 new board members as a part of our 16.3 million dollar initiative to support Grand Rapids Parks, Urban Forests, and Trails. Richard brings a great love for the city, small businesses, and community development to the […]
More Than Just Parks
Everyone experiences parks differently. Some enjoy the playgrounds and active places, while others enjoy being closer to nature and walking amongst the trees. As an organization, we are also here to create and maintain these places that you love by planting, playing, and restoring our parks and trees with you. With all these different programs […]
A Look at Neighborwoods 2022
The last day of September and the first of October brought out sunny clear skies, and the perfect temperatures for planting trees. With over 150 volunteers for the Neighborwoods event in partnership with the Mayor’s Greening Initiative, we planted 200 trees in Southtown over three 3-hour shifts—finishing them all with an hour and […]
Why Trees Matter
Why do trees matter so much anyway? Why do we plant them? And if you have ever heard the term, urban tree canopy? What does UTC even mean? Let’s start with the tree canopy: From urbantreecover.org we learn that the Canopy is “the layer of leaves, branches, and stems of trees that cover […]
Volunteers sought for Grand Rapids tree-planting initiative
Taking Care of Your Trees
Our trees might be dormant right now, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t work for us to do to take care of them! Here are some tips on winter tree care: 1. Winter Storm Damage If a branch is badly snapped, it can be pruned off so that it heals quickly in the spring. If you haven’t taken our […]
Our Next Executive Director
After a national search, Friends of Grand Rapids Parks has chosen Stacy Bare as the Grand Rapids-based non-profit’s next leader. Bare will succeed Stephanie Adams, who recently stepped down as the organization’s Executive Director after four years of leadership. Over her tenure, Adams solidified Friends’ financial position, strengthened partnerships with the City of Grand Rapids […]
Kayaking the Grand River
Friends launched the Outdoor Adventures event series this year with the kayaking experience, co-sponsored by DGRI. Lorena is a proud Latina woman and business professional who loves to spend time outdoors and experience nature. In her free time, you can probably find her biking, hiking, and backpacking! This summer, Lorena fell in love with a […]