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Each year Friends of the Parks honors Park Advisory Councils (PACs) and other groups and individuals that have gone above and beyond in making Chicago’s parks great places—through stewardship, advocacy, coordinating park-centric activities for the community, and other kinds of volunteerism. These may be folks who are actively involved with Friends of the Parks. Or they may be people we don’t know yet, but we really should!
We try really hard to uncover little known stories (as well as well-known stories) from all over the city that represent the diversity of Chicago’s parks and populations.
Our usual categories are:
In addition to taking into consideration for the above awards the extra challenges that COVID-19 poses in keeping people engaged with parks within social-distancing limitations and in building community around parks virtually, this year we’ve added a couple of extra categories to recognize individuals and groups that have been especially inspiring and creative in using parks and nature, and encouraging others to do so as part of our resilience during the pandemic.
We usually host an awards ceremony at a Chicago park or forest preserve to announce and celebrate the winners. Since we obviously can’t do that this year, we’re awarding each winner $100 to continue their endeavors to make Chicago’s parks great places, along with trying to get them a little extra attention!
This year’s winners are:
We try really hard to uncover little known stories (as well as well-known stories) from all over the city that represent the diversity of Chicago’s parks and populations.
Our usual categories are:
- Stewardship Award
- Advocacy Award
- Park Advisory Council Award
- Individual Volunteer Award
- Community Group Award
- “Smoky Sakurada” Friend of Friends of the Park Award
- Outstanding Park District Employee Award
In addition to taking into consideration for the above awards the extra challenges that COVID-19 poses in keeping people engaged with parks within social-distancing limitations and in building community around parks virtually, this year we’ve added a couple of extra categories to recognize individuals and groups that have been especially inspiring and creative in using parks and nature, and encouraging others to do so as part of our resilience during the pandemic.
- Isolation Inspiration Award
- Park Activation Innovation Award
We usually host an awards ceremony at a Chicago park or forest preserve to announce and celebrate the winners. Since we obviously can’t do that this year, we’re awarding each winner $100 to continue their endeavors to make Chicago’s parks great places, along with trying to get them a little extra attention!
This year’s winners are:
Park Activation Innovation Award
Unity Park
It is an understatement to say COVID has impacted the way we live. None of us had any idea the depth of the impact when Chicago went into stay-at-home mode. Among the many challenges was how to maintain our connections and our focus on our parks as a center of community-building in this time of separation. This set of VIPs got creative and found ways to provide free, fun, family-friendly events and projects at their park and surrounding community while being safe in the midst of pandemic conditions.
Unity Park PAC has been active since 1987 and has hosted free events at the park from their beginnings. They just completed a virtual fundraiser so they can eliminate cost as a barrier to participation in PAC-sponsored activities. They love their vibrant, diverse Logan Square “commUNITY” and believe in making events accessible to all.
To maintain the safety this summer, United PAC did not host the very popular ART in the Park at Unity. Instead, they engaged their neighborhood artists at a local arts collective, AnySquared, to donate art stickers as part of the materials that were then assembled into 1000 ART kits at Hairpin Arts Center. These 1000 ART kits were then distributed to children in the community to create ART at home. Two distributions were held, one at Monroe School and another at Unity Park. During the Unity Park distribution, the PAC partnered with local elected officials to distribute both face masks and face shields. This pivot highlights their nimbleness and willingness to innovate as an organization and in collaboration with the broader community.
Unity Park PAC has been active since 1987 and has hosted free events at the park from their beginnings. They just completed a virtual fundraiser so they can eliminate cost as a barrier to participation in PAC-sponsored activities. They love their vibrant, diverse Logan Square “commUNITY” and believe in making events accessible to all.
To maintain the safety this summer, United PAC did not host the very popular ART in the Park at Unity. Instead, they engaged their neighborhood artists at a local arts collective, AnySquared, to donate art stickers as part of the materials that were then assembled into 1000 ART kits at Hairpin Arts Center. These 1000 ART kits were then distributed to children in the community to create ART at home. Two distributions were held, one at Monroe School and another at Unity Park. During the Unity Park distribution, the PAC partnered with local elected officials to distribute both face masks and face shields. This pivot highlights their nimbleness and willingness to innovate as an organization and in collaboration with the broader community.
Isolation Inspiration Award
Mila Marshall
This VIP is the host for Living Chicago, a multi-platform project that takes viewers on exciting adventures traveling through Chicago’s green scene. A self-described city girl gone scientist, Mila Marshall’s love for nature and the environment shines through in each episode along with her love for Chicago. A professional policy wonk and a member of Environmentalists of Color, she is also passionate about modeling and encouraging African-Americans to connect with parks and green spaces for their individual and collective physical and mental health.
Even in the midst of the changes brought on by COVID-19, Mila highlights all the fun ways residents can stay active in the outdoors while staying safe. While highlighting regional treasures such as Jackson Park’s Wooded Island and its Yacht Club youth programs, the zip lines at Bemis Woods (part of the Cook County Forest Preserves), and the Morton Arboretum, she has a special love for Chicago Park District South Side treasures like the marshes, Burnham Wildlife Corridor, and the South Shore Nature Sanctuary. Her social media video posts in the midst of isolation are both educational and inspirational and allow Chicagoans to live vicariously through her walks in the woods. Thank you, Mila, for taking us along on these special trips and showing us the value of engaging nature and the environment for our health and well-being in the midst of a pandemic or anytime!
Even in the midst of the changes brought on by COVID-19, Mila highlights all the fun ways residents can stay active in the outdoors while staying safe. While highlighting regional treasures such as Jackson Park’s Wooded Island and its Yacht Club youth programs, the zip lines at Bemis Woods (part of the Cook County Forest Preserves), and the Morton Arboretum, she has a special love for Chicago Park District South Side treasures like the marshes, Burnham Wildlife Corridor, and the South Shore Nature Sanctuary. Her social media video posts in the midst of isolation are both educational and inspirational and allow Chicagoans to live vicariously through her walks in the woods. Thank you, Mila, for taking us along on these special trips and showing us the value of engaging nature and the environment for our health and well-being in the midst of a pandemic or anytime!
Stewardship Award
West Ridge Nature Park PAC
This set of VIPs has worked hard for many years to build up the amazing site that is the West Ridge Nature Park on the north side. Diligent volunteer stewards continue to monitor the native plants and maintain the walking areas of this nature preserve that also got its official name approved by the Chicago Park District this year. True to their sense of ownership and commitment to the space, they were fierce protectors of the park during the COVID-19 induced shelter-in-place this spring. With so many Chicagoans displaced from the closed lakefront parks, the Park Advisory Council (PAC) kept a watchful eye on visitors that ventured out to the nature area in search of alternative green space. PAC members made their own signs and manned posts reminding visitors to be mindful of the health and safety of both the people and the plants, as delicate new growth lined the trails. They even asked Friends of the Parks to take them off our Top 10 List of parks to visit because they experienced too big a deluge of visitors. The PAC ultimately advocated with the Chicago Park District to close the park down for a time because many visitors were going off the paths and trampling the natural areas that the volunteer stewards had worked so hard to establish and nurture. We applaud the West Ridge Nature Park PAC for the leadership and as a great representation of how local stewards and advocates know best about the conditions and needs of their park!
Individual Volunteer Award
Deloris Lucas, Golden Gate Park
This VIP is a dynamo of activity! In addition to organizing the annual clean-up and mulching for Golden Gate Park in collaboration with Friends of the Park’s Earth Day, Deloris Lucas also is actively engaged with other clean-ups and activities at the park. This year, she has coordinated distribution from the site of donated food to neighbors in need in the midst of the pandemic. She is the founder of the five-year old We Keep You Rollin’ Bike and Wellness group which brings together neighbors and allies to go on bike tours that start at Golden Gate Park and roll to Beaubien Woods; and she made a safe version of the event happen this year amidst COVID-19 conditions.
Deloris’ love for her community is visible at these biking and community events where the crew of regulars, which includes a significant number of young adults, come out to get exercise and maintain community connection. Her work has helped maintain the appeal, health, and aesthetics of Golden Gate park while providing an opportunity for all ages to work together to ensure community improvements align with community priorities. As part of these activities, she has brought more than one bicycle sharing pilot to Golden Gate park, including regular Divvy and electric powered bikes, worked with planners on improving walkability and bikability especially between parks, and participated in American Institute of Architects planning process for Riverdale community area. In the midst of all of this, Deloris always keeps the interests of the community and their feedback front and center as she is a key player in a coalition of stakeholders focused on the Little Calumet area in Riverdale.
Deloris’ love for her community is visible at these biking and community events where the crew of regulars, which includes a significant number of young adults, come out to get exercise and maintain community connection. Her work has helped maintain the appeal, health, and aesthetics of Golden Gate park while providing an opportunity for all ages to work together to ensure community improvements align with community priorities. As part of these activities, she has brought more than one bicycle sharing pilot to Golden Gate park, including regular Divvy and electric powered bikes, worked with planners on improving walkability and bikability especially between parks, and participated in American Institute of Architects planning process for Riverdale community area. In the midst of all of this, Deloris always keeps the interests of the community and their feedback front and center as she is a key player in a coalition of stakeholders focused on the Little Calumet area in Riverdale.
Park Advisory Council Award
Friends of the Bloomingdale Trail
The history of Friends of the Bloomingdale Trail goes back to the late 1990s when neighbors of the former railroad passage began to meet and discuss the possibility of a walking trail along the tracks. This idea drew the attention of residents in the adjacent neighborhoods of Logan Square and Humboldt Park to the point where it was included in Quality-of-Life plans created by these communities. Working with the City, the Chicago Park District, the Trust for Public Land, and countless neighbors finally bore fruit with the opening of the Trail and some of its feeder parks in 2015 (which the city dubbed “The 606”); that was also the year Friends of the Bloomingdale Trail organized to become an official Park Advisory Council, with representatives from each of the feeder parks that make up The 606 system sitting on the PAC leadership team. During these past five years, the Trail has become a super-popular destination for Chicagoans and tourists alike with activities like stargazing, trail runs, night parades and plant scavenger hunts. As it has also been the center of much controversy related to gentrification, the PAC has grappled with tough community conversations about affordable housing policy, what it means for the City to subsidize an eastward extension of the The 606 when two west end feeder parks remain undone, and how to tell the story of this park amenity in a way that honors the diversity of the community that brought it to life.
In 2020, when COVID hit and the Trail was shut down along with the lakefront, many people were understandably upset. In order to help residents cope in a creative way, Friends of the Bloomingdale Trail asked for people to help create “The Endless Bloomingdale Trail” by making drawings about the Trail that could include anything else people imagined with an emphasis on drawing the activities that they missed while the Trail was shut down. This year also marks Friends of Bloomingdale Trail’s victory in their campaign to have the walking and biking path itself officially bear the name by which long-time community residents and cycling boosters have always known it: the Bloomingdale Trail. Thank you for your steadfastness in reminding all of us to “Look UP! It’s the Bloomingdale Trail.”
In 2020, when COVID hit and the Trail was shut down along with the lakefront, many people were understandably upset. In order to help residents cope in a creative way, Friends of the Bloomingdale Trail asked for people to help create “The Endless Bloomingdale Trail” by making drawings about the Trail that could include anything else people imagined with an emphasis on drawing the activities that they missed while the Trail was shut down. This year also marks Friends of Bloomingdale Trail’s victory in their campaign to have the walking and biking path itself officially bear the name by which long-time community residents and cycling boosters have always known it: the Bloomingdale Trail. Thank you for your steadfastness in reminding all of us to “Look UP! It’s the Bloomingdale Trail.”
Individual Advocacy Award
Keith M. KellEy, Garfield Park PAC
This VIP is a poet, musician, cultural activist, and youth development practitioner that also serves as the president of Garfield Park Advisory Council. Leading a PAC can already be tricky under regular circumstances in a park as large and well used as Garfield, trying to balance the different needs of multiple groups and individuals. Keith M. Kelley leads the PAC in testifying before the Chicago Park District about needed capital improvements in the park, and he has been a loud and consistent voice about the inequitable investment throughout most of Garfield Park, south of Lake Street, relative to the Garfield Park Conservatory.
Now add COVID-19 and all its complications into an already vulnerable community, it would be enough to make anyone shrink away--but not Keith or the Garfield Park PAC. Under Keith’s leadership, the PAC chose to find ways to stay engaged by hosting informal as well as organized clean ups, keeping the Juneteenth Celebration going, and hosting walks throughout the park to key an eye on safety and maintenance concerns. Keith also helped to hold the city accountable when roads through the park were closed this spring by the police without any notification or good reason, deterring Chicagoans seeking respite from isolation from accessing the green space. He is no stranger to speaking truth to power, and his appearance on a news segment helped to bring the uneven treatment to light for the rest of us in Chicago.
Now add COVID-19 and all its complications into an already vulnerable community, it would be enough to make anyone shrink away--but not Keith or the Garfield Park PAC. Under Keith’s leadership, the PAC chose to find ways to stay engaged by hosting informal as well as organized clean ups, keeping the Juneteenth Celebration going, and hosting walks throughout the park to key an eye on safety and maintenance concerns. Keith also helped to hold the city accountable when roads through the park were closed this spring by the police without any notification or good reason, deterring Chicagoans seeking respite from isolation from accessing the green space. He is no stranger to speaking truth to power, and his appearance on a news segment helped to bring the uneven treatment to light for the rest of us in Chicago.
Community Group Award
Neighbors for Environmental Justice
This set of VIPs formed just a few years ago in response to a pollution-generating company being sited with little notice right next to their neighborhood park in a very dense community area. When residents became aware of the MAT Asphalt Plant operating across from McKinley Park, they came together to form Neighbors for Environmental Justice (N4EJ) and took action right away. In the fight to have this plant shut down, they make sure to involve as many residents across this multiethnic community as possible. N4EJ has placed air monitors at different sites in the neighborhood to track the pollution from this plant, encourages neighbors to report instances of foul smells affecting the park and the neighborhoods, tracks permit processes related to the company’s operations and its donations to politicians, and keeps neighbors and allies abreast of opportunities to advocate. When the news came out this year that the owner of this company had also “annexed” a portion of Lincoln Park for personal use, N4EJ jumped on the opportunity to organize a pop-up picnic demonstration to draw attention to such egregious behavior while raising the public profile of their fight against MAT asphalt.
In the midst of all this, they also activate to support other environmental injustice campaigns, especially in light of bad COVID-19 outcomes being linked to bad air quality. They regularly turn out to support Little Village community protests against pollution emanating from Hilco’s former coal plant where an implosion spewed dust over nearby homes and parks. And they mobilize in support of campaigns on the South East Side where neighbors and allies are pushing back against the relocation of General Iron’s shredding operations.
During the pandemic, N4EJ has also organized distribution of food and supplies to needy neighbors suffering economically. Kudos to you, N4EJ, for your advocacy and your solidarity with others!
In the midst of all this, they also activate to support other environmental injustice campaigns, especially in light of bad COVID-19 outcomes being linked to bad air quality. They regularly turn out to support Little Village community protests against pollution emanating from Hilco’s former coal plant where an implosion spewed dust over nearby homes and parks. And they mobilize in support of campaigns on the South East Side where neighbors and allies are pushing back against the relocation of General Iron’s shredding operations.
During the pandemic, N4EJ has also organized distribution of food and supplies to needy neighbors suffering economically. Kudos to you, N4EJ, for your advocacy and your solidarity with others!
Park Advisory Council Advocacy Award
Clarendon Park PAC
This PAC fought hard to garner from the Chicago Park District a commitment to have the local community center that is the park field house renovated according to the community’s wishes. Having celebrated the 100-year anniversary of the park in recent years, including collaborating with Friends of the Parks to deliver a Netsch Lecture about the park’s previous role as a beachfront promenade before the city built an extension to Lincoln Park in front of it, the Clarendon Park Advisory Council highly values the history of what was once the Clarendon Municipal Beach. This makes the existing structure particularly important to the community, even though the distinguishing elements that made it a historic building were removed in the 1970s. Additionally, highly popular programming that serves both local residents and area-wide enthusiasts lead to a high level of community ownership of the space; since 1963, the center has housed a very unique, hand-built, 1,500 linear feed model railroad that is used to engage students in STEM programming, and it is home to popular non-profit youth programming run by Kuumba Lynx. A professional sports team had approached the Chicago Park District about adding some sports fields and providing funding to help build a new structure, but the community demanded that its voice be heard in the process. After a few years of struggle, the PAC finally won a commitment to renovation which will happen in two phases, bringing the building up to date with a new accessible entry and an elevator which will allow more residents to participate in the many great programs held at the park.
Outstanding Park District Employee Award
Jason Steger, Montrose Natural Area
Photo credit: Mike Roche
Jason Steger served as the Chicago Park District's Natural Areas Manager for the past 13 years. He was a very visible staffer as he coordinated stewardship days and meetings as part of the vast work involved in maintaining over 60 natural areas, altogether supporting over 1,400 acres of habitat in the city. These natural areas, found within neighborhood parks, or standing alone, improve the urban environment, conserve native plants and wildlife, and provide a space for Chicagoans to connect with nature. Some of the signature projects he worked on during his time here include the McCormick Bird Sanctuary, the Burnham Wildlife Corridor and establishing the natural area at Park 538 which runs along the North Branch.
Jason has also been a strong advocate for Montrose Beach Dunes. He was the point person for federal and state agency staff these past two years managing the Piping Plover nesting and foraging areas, making sure all issues were addressed and things proceeded smoothly. His work supporting the plovers was especially important this year while lakefront parks were closed. While the volunteer natural area stewards and bird watchers were not able to access the area, Jason kept watch over Rose and Monty while they fledged their chicks and kept all partners informed to the safety. He even allowed us to share to our #isolationinspiration campaign some of the great pictures he took of the natural habitat (which thrived without many humans around) and of Chicago’s beloved piping plovers. Jason has just moved on from Chicago, and we send him off with a big thanks for his leadership as it relates to natural areas across the Chicago Park District.
Jason has also been a strong advocate for Montrose Beach Dunes. He was the point person for federal and state agency staff these past two years managing the Piping Plover nesting and foraging areas, making sure all issues were addressed and things proceeded smoothly. His work supporting the plovers was especially important this year while lakefront parks were closed. While the volunteer natural area stewards and bird watchers were not able to access the area, Jason kept watch over Rose and Monty while they fledged their chicks and kept all partners informed to the safety. He even allowed us to share to our #isolationinspiration campaign some of the great pictures he took of the natural habitat (which thrived without many humans around) and of Chicago’s beloved piping plovers. Jason has just moved on from Chicago, and we send him off with a big thanks for his leadership as it relates to natural areas across the Chicago Park District.
“Smoky Sakurada” Friend of Friends of the Park Award
Pete Leki, Nature Along the Lake Partner Teacher, Waters School
In honor of a beloved volunteer of Friends of the Parks, the late Smoky Sakurada, we periodically lift up other committed partners that donate time and commitment to our organization way above and beyond the call of duty. This year, we send a special shout out to Waters Elementary School Ecology Program Director Pete Leki. To many communities, Pete is a pillar of support, knowledge and wisdom, and Friends of the Parks is fortunate to be counted amongst them. A longtime educational partner of Friends of the Parks’ Nature Along the Lake environmental education program, Pete’s experience as an ecology educator and former water works professional, coupled with the genuine love he has for Chicago, makes him a walking library of information about the beauty of our environment and our lakefront. For many years, he has brought children from his Chicago Public School classroom on our Nature Along the Lake field trips to expose youth to nature and the environment in the outdoor classroom setting of the Montrose natural areas. His long-time involvement with the program and his generosity make him a treasure; over the past year he played a key support role to FOTP in the midst of staff transition. He freely shared with new staff from his knowledge of the evolution of the program over the years, the hiking route, and even the trees he likes to point out to his students. He helped make personal connections via the relationships he has developed with the lead stewards of the natural areas. He presented a folder of all of his documents collected and saved from the many years of partnering with FOTP. He even led a few field trips as part of training and orientation to help onboard our new director of environmental education. Pete, we hate to think about how we would have made it through that transition without you. Thank you for being such a committed friend of Friends of the Parks!
