Charles Dickens’ classic tale of redemption and charity is never far from popular consciousness this time of year. A Christmas Carol reminds us of the personal and community imperative of supporting others through our donations of time, expertise, and resources to address societal needs and improve human welfare. The annual reminder is both heartwarming and priceless.
From an idea conceived more than 11 years ago to a fully functioning philanthropy, the People, Parks and Community Foundation has just completed its first year of operations.
We are grateful for all who embraced and shared its vision over the years to research, plan, save, invest, and create the unique statewide grantmaking charity.
We are grateful for those who stepped into the leadership of its Board of Trustees, as well as other volunteers who have contributed their time and ability to undertake its mission.
We are grateful for the resources to issue inaugural grants to six worthy community projects this year, all of which will improve human wellness and community livability.
We are grateful for our supporters who partner with the Foundation’s efforts to build people and places that thrive. Their many individual and corporate contributions echo Mr. Scrooge’s late-in-life self-declaration:
Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, benevolence, were all my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!
The business of People, Parks & Community Foundation is intentionally revealed in its name. Parks and public spaces uniquely connect people to themselves, to each other, to nature, to their neighborhoods, and to the common welfare. Their benefits include everything that’s important in our modern society: health and wellness, economic stimulation, environmental sustainability, social equity and access, people development, and community resilience and livability—as well as the very broad palette of recreation and leisure opportunities that daily enrich our quality of life.
More than 276 million people in the U.S. visit a local park or recreation facility at least once a year. Yet more than 27 percent of our population does not have a single local park, playground, or recreation center within walking distance of their homes. And among many of the 6,500+ local parks in Pennsylvania, a shortage in funding for ongoing maintenance can deprive local communities of their vital recreational and environmental resources.
As a beneficiary of parks in all their enduring and endowing assets, we invite you to pay it forward by partnering in the Foundation’s business yet this year and next. The need is vast, but the potential to make life-changing differences is greater.
Your donation creates a stronger Pennsylvania, revitalizing our most prized public spaces, improving our neighborhoods, and positively impacting the lives of all who use them.
And for that, we are grateful!