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The Parklands

Members Make it Happen

Spring is in full swing at The Parklands with summer nipping at its heels! The spraygrounds are open. Folks are playing hooky from work to drop a line in Floyds Fork, take a long bike ride or walk a shady trail.  You see families taking a stroll together on the Louisville Loop or enjoying a picnic. The Parklands is THE place to be during the summer!

Visitation in our parks is traditionally highest in June, so we have chosen to hold our first Membership Drive the week of June 12 to June 18! As a donor-supported public park, The Parklands relies on donor support, not tax dollars, for annual operations each year. This is not always obvious to our day-to-day visitors, which is okay! We want the highest quality park experience to be front and center. But June 12-18 we also want visitors to recognize that “Members make it happen.”

Be on the lookout for extra signage all week long showcasing how Members help us to keep our parks to the highest standards of clean, safe, fun and beautiful. In addition, staff and volunteers will be out over the weekend eager to talk with visitors about the benefits of Membership. We’ll have a table set up in each park- stop by and say “hi”! 

This time of year, when the parks are bustling with activity, it is more obvious than ever that Member support is needed to sustain this extraordinary community asset. Support from our Members is a huge part of the success of The Parklands because everything you see (a wave from a Park Ranger, a utility vehicle blowing leaves and debris off the Loop, a smiling attendant emptying trash cans are refilling T.P.) is made possible through Membership donations. Members Make It Happen – and that’s the theme of the Membership drive! We are so grateful to our Members for their support in making The Parklands a world-class experience with no deferred maintenance, every day and every year, and we encourage other visitors to think about joining them. 

Our goal is to add 150 NEW Members during the week – we hope to blow that goal out of the Fork!

If you are taking the time to ready this blog, chances are you already know what a gift The Parklands is to our community. In less than six years, we have racked up some impressive numbers – which proves again and again The Parklands is vital to the community in ways that matter:

 

Do The Parklands matter to you? Here are a few ways you can support the Membership Drive and help us reach our goal:

  1. If you haven’t joined yet as a Parklands Member (or your Membership has expired), make your donation today at www.theparklands.org/member or call 502-584-0350 to make a donation over the phone. Join the more than 2,400 Members who “make it happen” in The Parklands every day (and enjoy all of the benefits that come with Membership)!
  2. Already a Member? Ask friends and family to become Members of The Parklands. To help you spread the love, we made some handy dandy referral cards you can print and pass along to your friendsThe #1 referring Member for total number of new Members and for total funds raised from referred Memberships will both win a special Parklands Commemorative Book.
  3. Share why The Parklands is a special place for you on social media.  Take a moment to share our social media posts promoting the Membership Drive. How about adding a picture and/or a story about a special time in the parks?  (What’s your favorite trail or amenity? How does the park inspire you or how has it affected your life? What are your hopes for the park’s future? What’s your favorite view?) YOU are our best advocates, so spread the word and remember to use the Spring Drive’s hashtag #MembersMakeItHappen!
  4. All Members are invited to join us to celebrate the success of the Drive and welcome new Members, on Wednesday, June 21 at 3rd Turn Brewery in J-Town. The fun starts at 6 PM when you can expect a cash bar, mingling with other Members and Parklands staff, light snacks and brewery tours. Be sure to have a pint of the Parklands Pale Ale – brewed by the guys at 3rd Turn to honor their connection to the parks. A portion of the proceeds from the evening will benefit The ParklandsBe so kind and let us know if you plan to attend by clicking here. 

Feel free to contact me at rgrau@21cparks.org or 502-815-0271 if you have any questions about the Membership Drive or about Membership. THANK YOU for helping provide our community with a park system that can be well-used and well-loved by present and future generations.