Friends of the Parks and the Chicago Park District hosted a city-wide

Park Advocacy Conference: Caring and Sharing in Chicago’s Parks Caring and Sharing in Chicago’s Parks

Over 160 park advocates, park advisory council members and environmentalists attended Friends of the Parks’ and the Chicago Park District’s Park Advocacy Conference: Caring and Sharing in Chicago’s Parks on Saturday, March 27th.    To see photos from the Park Advocacy Conference, click here. 

The conference began with a keynote address from 5th Ward Alderman Leslie Hairston and Timothy King, Director of Community and Governmental Affairs.  Alderman Hairston offered clear strategies on how to be a strong and effective park advisory council. 

After the keynote address, participants attended workshops and seminars on fundraising, playground design, leveraging community and governmental resources, security issues, and community gardening.  Speakers ranged from the City of Chicago’s Department of Zoning to other environmental organizations including OpenLands and the Trust for Public Lands to the Director of the Chicago Police Department’s CAPS Program.

The South Shore Cultural Center provided a beautiful setting for a park conference.