During our 2022 Parks as Democracy? Luncheon and Conference, we celebrated individuals and groups who do so much for Chicago's parks and park users. Click here to return to the full list of VIP (Volunteers-in-Parks) Awardees.
Chicago Park District Employees of the Year
Stephen Bell, Director & Joel Zavala, Senior Program Specialist
Ford Calumet Environmental Center and Big Marsh Park
Stephen Bell, Director & Joel Zavala, Senior Program Specialist
Ford Calumet Environmental Center and Big Marsh Park
This year we did something a little different for this award because Stephen and Joel are truly a dynamite team!
We first got to know them when we started engaging with Steelworkers Park at 87th and the lake. This park, which is a fraction of the former US Steel site, is the location of a unique climbing area that was created out of the ore walls that were a portion of the steel mill that once stood there. This park also has walking paths and a naturalized area. Its location makes it ideal for stargazing and bird watching, including being able to see some of the eagles that make the Calumet Area their home.
While Stephen and Joel approach the work from very different experiences, they both bring tremendous enthusiasm, a great love of nature and an understanding of what it takes to create great partnerships.
Hailing from Little Village, Joel Zavala knows the impact that safe green spaces can have on a community. Fostering the connection between the southeast side community and our city’s natural areas is at the core of Joel’s work. As the senior program specialist at the Ford Calumet Environmental Center, he works to activate and support community programming at all the southeast side parks including: Big Marsh, Marian Byrnes Park, Steelworkers Park, Indian Ridge Marsh and Hegewisch Marsh. He leads and facilitates the popular Community Climbs at Steelworkers Park where he offers free opportunities for the public to scale the climbing wall. He works with the local community, environmental and faith-based organizations to host a variety of stewardship and cultural events at southeast side sites such as native tree plantings, bikes and bonfires for local youth and scout groups, and programs with a focus on mental and environmental health. He also coordinates partner events such as the 5k Mudhen Run, Double Dutch Fest and Earth Day Celebrations. In everything from hiking, birding to stewardship and management, Joel passionately promotes equitable access, active participation, and local community ownership over our city’s southeast green spaces.
Stephen Bell is the director of the Chicago Park District Ford Calumet Environmental Center and Big Marsh Park. During his expansive career as an advocate for sustainability, he has been a proponent for healing and working with the environment. At the Calumet Center, he leads an innovative hub for eco-recreation and environmental restoration on the southeast side. The efforts to remediate more than 200 acres of land with a history of industrial waste is no small feat. Stephen’s commitment to this project and to making this area accessible to the local community shines through in his tireless work.
Both of them have gone above and beyond to help Friends of the Parks make our southeast side park activation and environmental education activities a success, from Day of the Dead to Rockclimbing to Marsh Madness Tours and more. Congrats to Joel and Stephen!
We first got to know them when we started engaging with Steelworkers Park at 87th and the lake. This park, which is a fraction of the former US Steel site, is the location of a unique climbing area that was created out of the ore walls that were a portion of the steel mill that once stood there. This park also has walking paths and a naturalized area. Its location makes it ideal for stargazing and bird watching, including being able to see some of the eagles that make the Calumet Area their home.
While Stephen and Joel approach the work from very different experiences, they both bring tremendous enthusiasm, a great love of nature and an understanding of what it takes to create great partnerships.
Hailing from Little Village, Joel Zavala knows the impact that safe green spaces can have on a community. Fostering the connection between the southeast side community and our city’s natural areas is at the core of Joel’s work. As the senior program specialist at the Ford Calumet Environmental Center, he works to activate and support community programming at all the southeast side parks including: Big Marsh, Marian Byrnes Park, Steelworkers Park, Indian Ridge Marsh and Hegewisch Marsh. He leads and facilitates the popular Community Climbs at Steelworkers Park where he offers free opportunities for the public to scale the climbing wall. He works with the local community, environmental and faith-based organizations to host a variety of stewardship and cultural events at southeast side sites such as native tree plantings, bikes and bonfires for local youth and scout groups, and programs with a focus on mental and environmental health. He also coordinates partner events such as the 5k Mudhen Run, Double Dutch Fest and Earth Day Celebrations. In everything from hiking, birding to stewardship and management, Joel passionately promotes equitable access, active participation, and local community ownership over our city’s southeast green spaces.
Stephen Bell is the director of the Chicago Park District Ford Calumet Environmental Center and Big Marsh Park. During his expansive career as an advocate for sustainability, he has been a proponent for healing and working with the environment. At the Calumet Center, he leads an innovative hub for eco-recreation and environmental restoration on the southeast side. The efforts to remediate more than 200 acres of land with a history of industrial waste is no small feat. Stephen’s commitment to this project and to making this area accessible to the local community shines through in his tireless work.
Both of them have gone above and beyond to help Friends of the Parks make our southeast side park activation and environmental education activities a success, from Day of the Dead to Rockclimbing to Marsh Madness Tours and more. Congrats to Joel and Stephen!
