Congrats to our 2022 VIP (Volunteers-in-Parks) Awardees
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.
Olmsted Award
Washington Park Camera Club
Each year at our Parks as Democracy? Luncheon and Conference, Friends of the Parks presents a signature award to a special individual or group that represents our theme for the year and inspires us all to action in support of Chicago’s parks. This year, we are pleased to present the “Olmsted Award” to the Washington Park Camera Club, a group that helps us remember both Frederick Law Olmsted in his 200th birthday year and the 100th anniversary of the Fountain of Time at the intersection of Washington Park and the Midway Plaisance. This group reminds us that parks are for all people, which is especially important amidst debates about whether environmental and park protection concerns matter to people of color. We are excited to present the “Olmsted Award” to them today and are thankful that they will allow us to share in their reveling in the history of Frederick Law Olmsted’s iconic parks via their photographic presentation: “South Park Then and Now.”
Founded in 1955, the Washington Park Camera Club is the oldest, predominately African American camera club in the Chicago area. In 2022, the Camera Club launched a virtual exhibit titled “South Park: Then and Now” to celebrate Frederick Law Olmstead’s 200th birthday. Through their camera lenses, they showcased how the celebrated landscape architect and abolitionist’s dreams of parks as places for people of all backgrounds has come to fruition. “South Park Then and Now” shares the stories of three connected, Olmsted-designed parks — Washington, Jackson and the Midway Plaisance — pairing up images from past photographers with those taken by camera club members. The 22-minute video, weaves together historic and contemporary images of the parks with recent photography by 13 members of the club. The project documents continuity and changes while highlighting the importance of Olmsted’s landscapes in the past and the vital role they play in the lives of Chicagoans today. The exhibit shows how details throughout the parks may change, but the parks’ purpose of bringing people together remains.
VIP (Volunteers-in-Parks) Awards
Park Advisory Council Leadership
Milton and Dorothy Chandler, Park 581
If you were to look up Park 581 on the Park District website you would find the following description along with the photo of an open field; “Park No. 581 is 8.74 acres and it is located in the Morgan Park community area. This is a passive green space for you to enjoy nature.” But once you dig a little deeper, you will find that “The Prairie”, as the neighbors refer to this green space that officially became a park five years ago, has so much more going on.
With Milton as treasurer and Dorothy as chair of the community garden committee, the Park 581 PAC has had a remarkably successful run since its founding in 2021 in the midst of the pandemic! In addition to the Community Garden, which is supported by a Connecting Communities Award, the PAC has installed a Little Free Library, hosted several clean ups including Earth Day, a post 4th fireworks clearing, and It’s your Park Day along with installing pet waste stations. This PAC was even one of 21 finalists for the Chicago Works Grant!
And right in the midst of all this activity are Milton and Dorothy! No task is too big or too small for them. Their contributions are so many from volunteering at clean ups, planning and designing for the community garden, distributing community surveys, attending workshops to improve the community, making several bank runs as Treasurer and keeping meticulous records. They are the first to volunteer whenever needed and are highly respected and loved in their community. Their selfless acts have benefited the park and community by making it safer. They implemented a phone tree and worked closely with the CAPS officer in the district to help keep an eye on the park. They walk the park every day to exercise and carry a bag to pick up garbage along the way. This incredible couple is a testament to community love, care and devotion. Thank you, Milton and Dorothy Chandler, for your dedication as part of Park 581 PAC.
Park Advisory Council
Grant Park PAC
The current iteration of the Grant Park Advisory Council emerged after a struggle a few years ago with the Grant Park Conservancy to ensure that the PAC is a separate, publicly accessible entity. Ensuring public participation toward the best interests of one of the largest parks in Chicago, the PAC advocates for the balance between Grant Park as a major tourist attraction and the local park for downtown neighbors.
Often referred to as the city’s front lawn, Grant Park consists of more than 300 acres that span from Randolph to Roosevelt and from the lakeshore to Michigan Avenue with attractions that include the Art Institute, Buckingham Fountain, DuSable and Monroe Harbors, and the Lakefront Trail along with dozens of art pieces scattered throughout the park. This park was some of the earliest designated open space for which its most famous advocate, A. Montgomery Ward, fought for 30 years to keep it “Forever Open, Clear, and Free.”
The council takes the role of protecting our front lawn seriously. With the Lollapalooza contract renewal and the announcement of NASCAR race running through the park, this year the PAC has played an especially big role in advocacy, serving as a consistent check to ensure that local community voices and needs are not pushed to the side in the name of profit. Council members regularly testify at the park district meetings, and 2022 has seen a good number of media appearances as well, voicing concerns and holding the Park District and the mayor accountable for keeping Grant Park accessible and safe for all Chicagoans and visitors. And this year has included review of concerns related to the Grant Park Van Buren Metra Stop renovation planning process and the kick-off a new Grant Park Framework Plan Steering Committee process in which various Grant Park PAC members are involved. They also regularly checked in with members of the mayor’s Museum Campus Working Group to promote consideration of needs related to coordination and seamless connection between Grant Park and the Museum Campus in adjacent Burnham Park.
This is on top of regular activities like leveraging the significant resources of Grant Park area residents and other volunteers to pull off large Earth Day park clean-ups and advocating for more programming at Maggie Daley Park, to name a few. Thank you, Grant Park PAC, for fighting for Chicago’s front lawn for all of us!
Community Organization
River North Residents Association
The River North Residents Association (RNRA) is a volunteer-led non-profit community organization, working to protect and enhance the quality of life in River North. Key to their success is encouraging strong collaboration and communication between residents, businesses, and government officials. Through their leadership and advocacy efforts, RNRA created several committees comprised of civic-minded residents working together on a wide range of issues affecting the neighborhood. These include a Commerce Committee, Development and Land Use, Family, Pet Owners, Public Safety, River North Clean Streets, and the one FOTP is most familiar with – the Parks Committee which stewards A. Montgomery Ward Park.
Years ago, FOTP and RNRA worked together to rename that riverfront park near the old Montgomery Ward headquarters in honor of Chicago’s defender of an “open, clear, and free” lakefront. We have continued in relationship over the years as RNRA’s Parks Committee plays many of the roles of a Park Advisory Council, advocating for and stewarding the park, including participating in our annual Earth Day clean ups and also in the Chicago Parks Foundation’s Pitch In For Parks.
This year, they really ramped up their advocacy for Ward Park and other riverfront greenspace opportunities in the midst of Chicago’s casino siting process. After the city announced plans to bring a casino to Chicago, RNRA became the most prominent neighborhood association working with Aldermen Reilly and Hopkins to vigorously oppose the Bally’s Tribune site casino development, with the potential impacts on the small Ward Park across the river and the inadequacy of green space in the plan being among some of their key concerns. Since the City Council approved the proposal, RNRA has remained actively engaged in encouraging changes to the plan to reduce negative impacts to the surrounding community, the residents of Chicago, and the natural environment. And just this week, we learned that the latest response to their advocacy is Bally’s scrapping of its plan for an outdoor concert area in favor of a riverfront park and a dog park, in alignment with some of RNRA’s demands.
Thank you, River North Residents Association!
Stewardship
Susannah Ribstein, South Shore Nature Sanctuary
Susannah Ribstein is a key figure in the fight to safeguard the South Shore nature ecosystem and increase environmental equity at the South Shore Cultural Center. A member of the Park Advisory Council, she convinced the Chicago Park District of the need for organized, volunteer stewardship efforts at the South Shore Nature Sanctuary which led to the first full year of organized monthly workdays in 2018. She has continued in this labor of love despite pushback from politicians who have labeled the sanctuary as “dead” and in the face of its potential demise due to the proposed PGA Golf Course related to the Obama Presidential Center.
The South Shore Nature Sanctuary is a 6-acre natural area, open year-round, located on Lake Michigan behind the South Shore Cultural Center within the Chicago Park District. Established in 2002, the South Shore Nature Sanctuary was at the time only the second lakefront Chicago Park District Natural Area. The peninsula on which the Sanctuary is now located was previously a part of the grounds of the South Shore Country Club and had been neglected for decades as an overgrown dumping ground. The South Shore community expressed their desire for a lakefront natural area during the development of the Chicago Park District's 1999 South Lakefront Framework Plan, and it came to fruition with the support and input of South Shore neighbors, Park Advisory Councils, and birding groups. Construction began in 2001 and included the removal of invasive plant growth, installation of a recycled plastic boardwalk and two Jens Jensen-inspired council rings, along with the planting of numerous native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers. As one of the earliest natural area installations in the city, it is now well-established and mature and contains dunes, prairie and woodlands and the creatures that inhabit them.
Susannah played a strong role this year in the 20th anniversary celebration of the South Shore Nature Sanctuary, including leading tours for the 80-plus people who came out that day. She is always happy to show people that the sanctuary is alive and well and worthy of being preserved.
She is quoted in the Sun-Times as saying, “‘‘I love spending time at the Nature Sanctuary myself because it’s beautiful, peaceful and a special way to feel connected to the Earth right here in the city. I also know that natural spaces like this one are crucial to the mental, physical and social well-being of my community, especially since South Shore and the rest of the South Side of Chicago has been so disinvested over the past decades.
‘‘I wanted to start a community stewardship program at the Nature Sanctuary because I saw that not enough people knew that this resource was there for them to take advantage of, and I wanted to do what I could to change that and make sure that the space remained protected and beautiful for everyone to use.’’
‘‘For example, people would tell me they thought that the space was abandoned because the landscaping wasn’t as manicured as the rest of the park. So there was an opportunity to help educate community members about the philosophies of natural areas management and also to provide a voice for the community back to the Park District — expressing those concerns and needs to the people who manage the space.’’
By increasing the usage and appreciation of this vital lakefront ecosystem, Susannah is fighting not just for the future of the sanctuary but also the future of our lakefront, ensuring that this vital guard against lakefront erosion is protected for years to come. Thank you, Susannah!
Advocacy
Promontory Point Conservancy
For 22 years community members have fought for Promontory Point. In that time there has been much overlap between advocacy for Promontory Point and Friends of the Parks’ own board of directors.
This year the Promontory Point Conservancy held a press conference announcing and designating May 26 as ‘International Point Day,’ celebrating the past and present of Promontory Point, which is cherished by south siders and former residents all over the world, and fighting for its future as a beloved park for generations to come. At this celebration and press conference, Friends of the Parks now Board President, Bronwyn Nichols Lodato and board member Mila Marshall were highlighted speakers.
It is because our connection runs deep that we could not let another year pass without honoring the tireless work by the Promontory Point Conservancy.
Promontory Point Conservancy's mission is to protect and preserve Promontory Point in Burnham Park, on Chicago's South Side, most especially its historic limestone, step-stone revetment, and renowned landscape architect Alfred Caldwell's Prairie Style design. The community group cares for this unique sanctuary in the city, serves as the de facto park advisory council (PAC), including hosting stewardship days and working to protect all its unique historic features. Maintaining the historic integrity of the Promontory is not just an asset to Chicago history but to protecting the city against lakefront erosion caused by climate change.
These advocates know full well that Democracy can be messy. They have been rolling up their shelves and getting to work. They have relentlessly pursued support from elected officials, government bodies and others for their cause. This year has been one of victories (and setbacks) for the conservancy.
Since 2013 they have worked with U.S. Congresswoman Robin Kelly and her team to submit language for a preservation study at Promontory Point. This year Congresswoman Kelly secured congressional language in the federal budget authorizing funding of the much delayed and much needed, independent, third-party engineering study of the historic limestone revetment. The budget still needs to be approved, and the conservancy continues to fight for this federal funding.
Locally – In response to all the energy around the First International Point day, the group was able to offer Mayor Lori Lightfoot a guided tour of Promontory Point and secure her public support for a preservation approach to the repair, restoration, and rehabilitation of the historic 84-year-old limestone revetment. In the last week, the group gathered over 500 letters of support for Promontory Point to be added as Chicago Landmark.
These are few examples of how the persistence and community engagement of the conservancy is paying off. It is clear that they will continue their commitment and passionate advocacy for this Chicago park for years to come.
Without their resounding voice and powerful organizing, the Promontory would not be what it is today- a beautiful and historic source of respite from city life for the Chicago community.
Individual Volunteer
Gail Spreen of Streeterville Organization of Active Residents, DuSable Park PAC, Jane Addams Park PAC
A consummate professional and community advocate, this year’s Individual Volunteer Award goes to Gail Spreen. Gail has been involved with Friends of the Parks for years as an active member of the DuSable Park Coalition via her engagement with SOAR (the Streeterville Organization of Active Residents). She has never wavered in her commitment and consistency to push for the actualization of DuSable Park, and she keeps taking it to another level. She has previously agreed to leverage her involvement on the Jane Addams Park Advisory Council to help the DuSable Park Coalition seed a DuSable Park PAC even before there is an actual park; she continues as a member of both PACs today.
In addition to these roles, during the pandemic she leveraged relationships with both the Magnificent Mile Association and the Native American Chamber of Commerce to add new elements to the annual Commemoration of the Death of DuSable as we innovated to offer virtual elements. This has led to the on-going involvement of the Native American Chamber of Commerce to offer a blessing and land acknowledgement at the annual event. This is a significant contribution to the Coalition’s journey to understand, value, and work toward helping us all acknowledge DuSable’s wife, Kitihawa of the Pottawotami tribe, and the fact that DuSable’s acceptance into the tribe was very important to his success.
This year, Gail accepted the Chicago Park District’s invitation to serve on the DuSable Park Framework Plan Steering Committee alongside various members of the DuSable Park Coalition. In that space, she is playing a strong activist role to make sure the significance of Kitihawa’s part in the DuSable story is incorporated into the park concept and design, in the face of some controversy around that issue.
Also in 2022, Gail and her husband debuted a film they produced: the History of South Streeterville, which includes strong affirmation of the development of more green space in the area, including DuSable Park. It even includes an interview with Curt Bailey of Related Midwest talking proudly about the future DuSable Park.
Thank you for your leadership, Gail!
Innovation
Rio de Bienvenida Project
Not many people know about the Canalport Riverwalk Park, tucked between Bubbly Creek, the South Branch of the Chicago River, and the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. It’s not as famous as the riverwalk downtown but this little gem offers views of the Damen Silos, Sims Scrap Metal Recycling and the Chicago skyline.
The Rio de Bienvenida Project, led by artists Cynthia Weiss and Delilah Salgado and educators Citlalli Trujillo and Rachel Havrelock, is a public art project seeking to activate this park as a community space that connects people to a body of water that unites the entire city of Chicago while bringing attention to environmental racism and lack of green space in Pilsen, Little Village, McKinley Park, Archer Heights, Brighton Park, and Bridgeport. As neighborhoods plagued with industrial pollution, the project provides an ingenious space for community members to come together and plan for a future with cleaner air and water and create access to green space.
The Chicago Tribune wrote about it, saying, “Two years ago, Citlalli Trujillo was researching the Chicago River as part of a fellowship at University of Illinois at Chicago. She remembers looking at the curves and bends of the river on Google Maps and noticing that it cut through her neighborhood of Pilsen. She couldn’t find any access points in the area so she went to look for one."
Three generations of Trujillo’s family have lived in Pilsen, but it took some exploration and the help of three strangers to find the Canalport Riverwalk Park, a 5-acre park tucked under a bridge over the South Branch of the river and surrounded by communities that have long fought for environmental justice.
“The neighborhoods around here ended up sacrificing their access to the river, but they were also very vital and crucial to building Chicago,” Trujillo said. “They don’t get to experience the benefits of all the infrastructure, they mostly bear the burden.”
Nestled between several industrial centers, wild grasses and seating areas line the gravel path following the curve of the river. The air smells of exhaust from trucks passing on Ashland Avenue. Often, a few people can be found fishing on the bank, or the occasional jogger might pass by. But many in the surrounding neighborhoods of Pilsen, McKinley Park and Bridgeport said they’ve never heard of the park.
Now Trujillo is part of a project to help residents see this strip of green space as a true park rather than just an industrial zone.”
“The group’s vision involves hosting workshops for community members to draw images of water and what environmental justice means to them, first on paper then converted to pieces of laser cut metal embedded in the fence. At the event in September, some of the sketches submitted by attendees depict fish, smiling children holding hands and an acknowledgment to Native American tribes that first occupied land near the river.”
We are excited that this project was funded through Earth Art Chicago, that FOTP was a part of, which is providing financial support for 11 projects across neighborhoods to help inspire action toward climate change and environmental justice. Thank you to all the individual and organizational partners making this space come to life!
Isolation Inspiration
Supervisor Shauneia McPhearson and staff of Franklin Park
Franklin Park is in the North Lawndale community and provides 9.31 acres of green space. Park-goers come to play basketball, baseball and swim at the facility. After school programs are offered throughout the school year, and in the summer, a six-week day camp. In addition to programs, Franklin Park hosts fun special events throughout the year for the whole family, such as gym showcases, holiday parties and Back to School community gatherings.
Supervisor Shauneia McPhearson and staff work with a wide-ranging group of partners to ensure youth and their families have a variety of activities to participate in. These partnerships include Boxing Out Negativity, the local CAPS office, Windy City Hoops, Inner City Hoops and UCAN. The park also has some very unique programs such as piano classes with Ravinia, serve as an exhibition site for “Lawndale A Living History” presented by the Lawndale Pop Up Spot, as well as a site for a Little Library in partnership with the Neighbor to Neighbor Literacy Project—a Friends of the Parks Seed grant awardee--and have hosted Equiticity as part of the Friday Night Ride Series.
Through careful use of the fieldhouse and outdoor area, the staff were able to follow COVID safety guidelines even as they found themselves serving double the number of children during the stay-at-home. The dedication to keeping their partnerships intact has helped the park continue to serve safety to so many additional families as guidelines have been eased. For being a beacon in their neighborhood, we recognize Supervisor Shaunia McPherson and her staff at Franklin Park.
Chicago Park District Employees of the Year
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!
“Smoky Sakurada” Friends of Friends of the Parks
Illinois Institute of Technology Professors Maria Villalobos and Ron Henderson and Students of Landscape Architecture + Urbanism Program
In honor of a beloved volunteer of Friends of the Parks, the late Smoky Sakurada, we periodically highlight other committed partners that donate time and demonstrate significant commitment to our organization way above and beyond the call of duty. This year’s Friends of Friends of the Parks are Illinois Institute of Technology Professors Maria Villalobos and Ron Henderson and Students of the Landscape Architecture + Urbanism program.
Friends of the Parks Executive Director Juanita Irizarry and Dr. Maria Villalobos met as mayoral appointees to the Lincoln Yards Community Advisory Council and quickly connected and became behind-the-scenes thought and strategy partners in favor of vibrant public parkland there and elsewhere. They realized the connection they both had to then FOTP-board member Anton Seals’ work in support of the actualization of the Englewood Nature Trail. And the rest is history. Dr. Villalobos has supported FOTP’s work directly by participating in and moderating FOTP Netsch Lecture discussions and has engaged Juanita to provide a tour and input related to Humboldt Park and The Bloomingdale Trail and as a jurist in her students’ mid-term and finals presentations related to Humboldt Park, Garfield Park, and the Englewood Nature Trail. Another of her students participated in another lecture and did a presentation about park history as part of an FOTP staff training.
Maria also brought us into relationship with IIT’s Dr. Ron Henderson, who has engaged his students around a couple of FOTP projects, challenging them to think through real world applications of landscape design. The first project was a design studio project to offer alternative visions for the future DuSable Park site as part of inspiring thinking and modeling a public involvement process ahead of the anticipated park district design process for the park. The project included meetings with our DuSable Park Coalition and other stakeholders and attending our summer Death of DuSable commemoration. The process included a virtual Netsch Lecture presentation and an in-person exhibition at IIT of the students’ models for the park. This work has led to an invitation from the Chicago Park District for Ron to serve alongside Juanita and DuSable Park Coalition members on the current DuSable Park Framework Plan, where he is a strong advocate for positions FOTP cares about, including on-going agitation for the inclusion of the story of Kitihawa and the Pottawatomi tribe as part of the success of DuSable’s role in the region. Meanwhile, over this summer, he engaged independent study students to take a look at the Confined Disposal Facility (at the confluence of Lake Michigan and the Calumet River, and adjacent to Calumet Park) to imagine what it could look like fully converted into a park. The student designs were informed by previous schematics from our Last 4 Miles initiative community charrettes years ago, as well as updated neighborhood input. Each student vision was unique, and in their presentations they brought passion and expertise in converting dredge and landfill facilities into parks, slate material, and landscape architecture. The development of updated alternative visions for the CDF site is a major contribution in the fight to close and cap the CDF site which threatens our lakefront, helping to inspire and galvanize the community in the collective advocacy effort to return the land for community use.
Washington Park Camera Club
Each year at our Parks as Democracy? Luncheon and Conference, Friends of the Parks presents a signature award to a special individual or group that represents our theme for the year and inspires us all to action in support of Chicago’s parks. This year, we are pleased to present the “Olmsted Award” to the Washington Park Camera Club, a group that helps us remember both Frederick Law Olmsted in his 200th birthday year and the 100th anniversary of the Fountain of Time at the intersection of Washington Park and the Midway Plaisance. This group reminds us that parks are for all people, which is especially important amidst debates about whether environmental and park protection concerns matter to people of color. We are excited to present the “Olmsted Award” to them today and are thankful that they will allow us to share in their reveling in the history of Frederick Law Olmsted’s iconic parks via their photographic presentation: “South Park Then and Now.”
Founded in 1955, the Washington Park Camera Club is the oldest, predominately African American camera club in the Chicago area. In 2022, the Camera Club launched a virtual exhibit titled “South Park: Then and Now” to celebrate Frederick Law Olmstead’s 200th birthday. Through their camera lenses, they showcased how the celebrated landscape architect and abolitionist’s dreams of parks as places for people of all backgrounds has come to fruition. “South Park Then and Now” shares the stories of three connected, Olmsted-designed parks — Washington, Jackson and the Midway Plaisance — pairing up images from past photographers with those taken by camera club members. The 22-minute video, weaves together historic and contemporary images of the parks with recent photography by 13 members of the club. The project documents continuity and changes while highlighting the importance of Olmsted’s landscapes in the past and the vital role they play in the lives of Chicagoans today. The exhibit shows how details throughout the parks may change, but the parks’ purpose of bringing people together remains.
VIP (Volunteers-in-Parks) Awards
Park Advisory Council Leadership
Milton and Dorothy Chandler, Park 581
If you were to look up Park 581 on the Park District website you would find the following description along with the photo of an open field; “Park No. 581 is 8.74 acres and it is located in the Morgan Park community area. This is a passive green space for you to enjoy nature.” But once you dig a little deeper, you will find that “The Prairie”, as the neighbors refer to this green space that officially became a park five years ago, has so much more going on.
With Milton as treasurer and Dorothy as chair of the community garden committee, the Park 581 PAC has had a remarkably successful run since its founding in 2021 in the midst of the pandemic! In addition to the Community Garden, which is supported by a Connecting Communities Award, the PAC has installed a Little Free Library, hosted several clean ups including Earth Day, a post 4th fireworks clearing, and It’s your Park Day along with installing pet waste stations. This PAC was even one of 21 finalists for the Chicago Works Grant!
And right in the midst of all this activity are Milton and Dorothy! No task is too big or too small for them. Their contributions are so many from volunteering at clean ups, planning and designing for the community garden, distributing community surveys, attending workshops to improve the community, making several bank runs as Treasurer and keeping meticulous records. They are the first to volunteer whenever needed and are highly respected and loved in their community. Their selfless acts have benefited the park and community by making it safer. They implemented a phone tree and worked closely with the CAPS officer in the district to help keep an eye on the park. They walk the park every day to exercise and carry a bag to pick up garbage along the way. This incredible couple is a testament to community love, care and devotion. Thank you, Milton and Dorothy Chandler, for your dedication as part of Park 581 PAC.
Park Advisory Council
Grant Park PAC
The current iteration of the Grant Park Advisory Council emerged after a struggle a few years ago with the Grant Park Conservancy to ensure that the PAC is a separate, publicly accessible entity. Ensuring public participation toward the best interests of one of the largest parks in Chicago, the PAC advocates for the balance between Grant Park as a major tourist attraction and the local park for downtown neighbors.
Often referred to as the city’s front lawn, Grant Park consists of more than 300 acres that span from Randolph to Roosevelt and from the lakeshore to Michigan Avenue with attractions that include the Art Institute, Buckingham Fountain, DuSable and Monroe Harbors, and the Lakefront Trail along with dozens of art pieces scattered throughout the park. This park was some of the earliest designated open space for which its most famous advocate, A. Montgomery Ward, fought for 30 years to keep it “Forever Open, Clear, and Free.”
The council takes the role of protecting our front lawn seriously. With the Lollapalooza contract renewal and the announcement of NASCAR race running through the park, this year the PAC has played an especially big role in advocacy, serving as a consistent check to ensure that local community voices and needs are not pushed to the side in the name of profit. Council members regularly testify at the park district meetings, and 2022 has seen a good number of media appearances as well, voicing concerns and holding the Park District and the mayor accountable for keeping Grant Park accessible and safe for all Chicagoans and visitors. And this year has included review of concerns related to the Grant Park Van Buren Metra Stop renovation planning process and the kick-off a new Grant Park Framework Plan Steering Committee process in which various Grant Park PAC members are involved. They also regularly checked in with members of the mayor’s Museum Campus Working Group to promote consideration of needs related to coordination and seamless connection between Grant Park and the Museum Campus in adjacent Burnham Park.
This is on top of regular activities like leveraging the significant resources of Grant Park area residents and other volunteers to pull off large Earth Day park clean-ups and advocating for more programming at Maggie Daley Park, to name a few. Thank you, Grant Park PAC, for fighting for Chicago’s front lawn for all of us!
Community Organization
River North Residents Association
The River North Residents Association (RNRA) is a volunteer-led non-profit community organization, working to protect and enhance the quality of life in River North. Key to their success is encouraging strong collaboration and communication between residents, businesses, and government officials. Through their leadership and advocacy efforts, RNRA created several committees comprised of civic-minded residents working together on a wide range of issues affecting the neighborhood. These include a Commerce Committee, Development and Land Use, Family, Pet Owners, Public Safety, River North Clean Streets, and the one FOTP is most familiar with – the Parks Committee which stewards A. Montgomery Ward Park.
Years ago, FOTP and RNRA worked together to rename that riverfront park near the old Montgomery Ward headquarters in honor of Chicago’s defender of an “open, clear, and free” lakefront. We have continued in relationship over the years as RNRA’s Parks Committee plays many of the roles of a Park Advisory Council, advocating for and stewarding the park, including participating in our annual Earth Day clean ups and also in the Chicago Parks Foundation’s Pitch In For Parks.
This year, they really ramped up their advocacy for Ward Park and other riverfront greenspace opportunities in the midst of Chicago’s casino siting process. After the city announced plans to bring a casino to Chicago, RNRA became the most prominent neighborhood association working with Aldermen Reilly and Hopkins to vigorously oppose the Bally’s Tribune site casino development, with the potential impacts on the small Ward Park across the river and the inadequacy of green space in the plan being among some of their key concerns. Since the City Council approved the proposal, RNRA has remained actively engaged in encouraging changes to the plan to reduce negative impacts to the surrounding community, the residents of Chicago, and the natural environment. And just this week, we learned that the latest response to their advocacy is Bally’s scrapping of its plan for an outdoor concert area in favor of a riverfront park and a dog park, in alignment with some of RNRA’s demands.
Thank you, River North Residents Association!
Stewardship
Susannah Ribstein, South Shore Nature Sanctuary
Susannah Ribstein is a key figure in the fight to safeguard the South Shore nature ecosystem and increase environmental equity at the South Shore Cultural Center. A member of the Park Advisory Council, she convinced the Chicago Park District of the need for organized, volunteer stewardship efforts at the South Shore Nature Sanctuary which led to the first full year of organized monthly workdays in 2018. She has continued in this labor of love despite pushback from politicians who have labeled the sanctuary as “dead” and in the face of its potential demise due to the proposed PGA Golf Course related to the Obama Presidential Center.
The South Shore Nature Sanctuary is a 6-acre natural area, open year-round, located on Lake Michigan behind the South Shore Cultural Center within the Chicago Park District. Established in 2002, the South Shore Nature Sanctuary was at the time only the second lakefront Chicago Park District Natural Area. The peninsula on which the Sanctuary is now located was previously a part of the grounds of the South Shore Country Club and had been neglected for decades as an overgrown dumping ground. The South Shore community expressed their desire for a lakefront natural area during the development of the Chicago Park District's 1999 South Lakefront Framework Plan, and it came to fruition with the support and input of South Shore neighbors, Park Advisory Councils, and birding groups. Construction began in 2001 and included the removal of invasive plant growth, installation of a recycled plastic boardwalk and two Jens Jensen-inspired council rings, along with the planting of numerous native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers. As one of the earliest natural area installations in the city, it is now well-established and mature and contains dunes, prairie and woodlands and the creatures that inhabit them.
Susannah played a strong role this year in the 20th anniversary celebration of the South Shore Nature Sanctuary, including leading tours for the 80-plus people who came out that day. She is always happy to show people that the sanctuary is alive and well and worthy of being preserved.
She is quoted in the Sun-Times as saying, “‘‘I love spending time at the Nature Sanctuary myself because it’s beautiful, peaceful and a special way to feel connected to the Earth right here in the city. I also know that natural spaces like this one are crucial to the mental, physical and social well-being of my community, especially since South Shore and the rest of the South Side of Chicago has been so disinvested over the past decades.
‘‘I wanted to start a community stewardship program at the Nature Sanctuary because I saw that not enough people knew that this resource was there for them to take advantage of, and I wanted to do what I could to change that and make sure that the space remained protected and beautiful for everyone to use.’’
‘‘For example, people would tell me they thought that the space was abandoned because the landscaping wasn’t as manicured as the rest of the park. So there was an opportunity to help educate community members about the philosophies of natural areas management and also to provide a voice for the community back to the Park District — expressing those concerns and needs to the people who manage the space.’’
By increasing the usage and appreciation of this vital lakefront ecosystem, Susannah is fighting not just for the future of the sanctuary but also the future of our lakefront, ensuring that this vital guard against lakefront erosion is protected for years to come. Thank you, Susannah!
Advocacy
Promontory Point Conservancy
For 22 years community members have fought for Promontory Point. In that time there has been much overlap between advocacy for Promontory Point and Friends of the Parks’ own board of directors.
This year the Promontory Point Conservancy held a press conference announcing and designating May 26 as ‘International Point Day,’ celebrating the past and present of Promontory Point, which is cherished by south siders and former residents all over the world, and fighting for its future as a beloved park for generations to come. At this celebration and press conference, Friends of the Parks now Board President, Bronwyn Nichols Lodato and board member Mila Marshall were highlighted speakers.
It is because our connection runs deep that we could not let another year pass without honoring the tireless work by the Promontory Point Conservancy.
Promontory Point Conservancy's mission is to protect and preserve Promontory Point in Burnham Park, on Chicago's South Side, most especially its historic limestone, step-stone revetment, and renowned landscape architect Alfred Caldwell's Prairie Style design. The community group cares for this unique sanctuary in the city, serves as the de facto park advisory council (PAC), including hosting stewardship days and working to protect all its unique historic features. Maintaining the historic integrity of the Promontory is not just an asset to Chicago history but to protecting the city against lakefront erosion caused by climate change.
These advocates know full well that Democracy can be messy. They have been rolling up their shelves and getting to work. They have relentlessly pursued support from elected officials, government bodies and others for their cause. This year has been one of victories (and setbacks) for the conservancy.
Since 2013 they have worked with U.S. Congresswoman Robin Kelly and her team to submit language for a preservation study at Promontory Point. This year Congresswoman Kelly secured congressional language in the federal budget authorizing funding of the much delayed and much needed, independent, third-party engineering study of the historic limestone revetment. The budget still needs to be approved, and the conservancy continues to fight for this federal funding.
Locally – In response to all the energy around the First International Point day, the group was able to offer Mayor Lori Lightfoot a guided tour of Promontory Point and secure her public support for a preservation approach to the repair, restoration, and rehabilitation of the historic 84-year-old limestone revetment. In the last week, the group gathered over 500 letters of support for Promontory Point to be added as Chicago Landmark.
These are few examples of how the persistence and community engagement of the conservancy is paying off. It is clear that they will continue their commitment and passionate advocacy for this Chicago park for years to come.
Without their resounding voice and powerful organizing, the Promontory would not be what it is today- a beautiful and historic source of respite from city life for the Chicago community.
Individual Volunteer
Gail Spreen of Streeterville Organization of Active Residents, DuSable Park PAC, Jane Addams Park PAC
A consummate professional and community advocate, this year’s Individual Volunteer Award goes to Gail Spreen. Gail has been involved with Friends of the Parks for years as an active member of the DuSable Park Coalition via her engagement with SOAR (the Streeterville Organization of Active Residents). She has never wavered in her commitment and consistency to push for the actualization of DuSable Park, and she keeps taking it to another level. She has previously agreed to leverage her involvement on the Jane Addams Park Advisory Council to help the DuSable Park Coalition seed a DuSable Park PAC even before there is an actual park; she continues as a member of both PACs today.
In addition to these roles, during the pandemic she leveraged relationships with both the Magnificent Mile Association and the Native American Chamber of Commerce to add new elements to the annual Commemoration of the Death of DuSable as we innovated to offer virtual elements. This has led to the on-going involvement of the Native American Chamber of Commerce to offer a blessing and land acknowledgement at the annual event. This is a significant contribution to the Coalition’s journey to understand, value, and work toward helping us all acknowledge DuSable’s wife, Kitihawa of the Pottawotami tribe, and the fact that DuSable’s acceptance into the tribe was very important to his success.
This year, Gail accepted the Chicago Park District’s invitation to serve on the DuSable Park Framework Plan Steering Committee alongside various members of the DuSable Park Coalition. In that space, she is playing a strong activist role to make sure the significance of Kitihawa’s part in the DuSable story is incorporated into the park concept and design, in the face of some controversy around that issue.
Also in 2022, Gail and her husband debuted a film they produced: the History of South Streeterville, which includes strong affirmation of the development of more green space in the area, including DuSable Park. It even includes an interview with Curt Bailey of Related Midwest talking proudly about the future DuSable Park.
Thank you for your leadership, Gail!
Innovation
Rio de Bienvenida Project
Not many people know about the Canalport Riverwalk Park, tucked between Bubbly Creek, the South Branch of the Chicago River, and the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. It’s not as famous as the riverwalk downtown but this little gem offers views of the Damen Silos, Sims Scrap Metal Recycling and the Chicago skyline.
The Rio de Bienvenida Project, led by artists Cynthia Weiss and Delilah Salgado and educators Citlalli Trujillo and Rachel Havrelock, is a public art project seeking to activate this park as a community space that connects people to a body of water that unites the entire city of Chicago while bringing attention to environmental racism and lack of green space in Pilsen, Little Village, McKinley Park, Archer Heights, Brighton Park, and Bridgeport. As neighborhoods plagued with industrial pollution, the project provides an ingenious space for community members to come together and plan for a future with cleaner air and water and create access to green space.
The Chicago Tribune wrote about it, saying, “Two years ago, Citlalli Trujillo was researching the Chicago River as part of a fellowship at University of Illinois at Chicago. She remembers looking at the curves and bends of the river on Google Maps and noticing that it cut through her neighborhood of Pilsen. She couldn’t find any access points in the area so she went to look for one."
Three generations of Trujillo’s family have lived in Pilsen, but it took some exploration and the help of three strangers to find the Canalport Riverwalk Park, a 5-acre park tucked under a bridge over the South Branch of the river and surrounded by communities that have long fought for environmental justice.
“The neighborhoods around here ended up sacrificing their access to the river, but they were also very vital and crucial to building Chicago,” Trujillo said. “They don’t get to experience the benefits of all the infrastructure, they mostly bear the burden.”
Nestled between several industrial centers, wild grasses and seating areas line the gravel path following the curve of the river. The air smells of exhaust from trucks passing on Ashland Avenue. Often, a few people can be found fishing on the bank, or the occasional jogger might pass by. But many in the surrounding neighborhoods of Pilsen, McKinley Park and Bridgeport said they’ve never heard of the park.
Now Trujillo is part of a project to help residents see this strip of green space as a true park rather than just an industrial zone.”
“The group’s vision involves hosting workshops for community members to draw images of water and what environmental justice means to them, first on paper then converted to pieces of laser cut metal embedded in the fence. At the event in September, some of the sketches submitted by attendees depict fish, smiling children holding hands and an acknowledgment to Native American tribes that first occupied land near the river.”
We are excited that this project was funded through Earth Art Chicago, that FOTP was a part of, which is providing financial support for 11 projects across neighborhoods to help inspire action toward climate change and environmental justice. Thank you to all the individual and organizational partners making this space come to life!
Isolation Inspiration
Supervisor Shauneia McPhearson and staff of Franklin Park
Franklin Park is in the North Lawndale community and provides 9.31 acres of green space. Park-goers come to play basketball, baseball and swim at the facility. After school programs are offered throughout the school year, and in the summer, a six-week day camp. In addition to programs, Franklin Park hosts fun special events throughout the year for the whole family, such as gym showcases, holiday parties and Back to School community gatherings.
Supervisor Shauneia McPhearson and staff work with a wide-ranging group of partners to ensure youth and their families have a variety of activities to participate in. These partnerships include Boxing Out Negativity, the local CAPS office, Windy City Hoops, Inner City Hoops and UCAN. The park also has some very unique programs such as piano classes with Ravinia, serve as an exhibition site for “Lawndale A Living History” presented by the Lawndale Pop Up Spot, as well as a site for a Little Library in partnership with the Neighbor to Neighbor Literacy Project—a Friends of the Parks Seed grant awardee--and have hosted Equiticity as part of the Friday Night Ride Series.
Through careful use of the fieldhouse and outdoor area, the staff were able to follow COVID safety guidelines even as they found themselves serving double the number of children during the stay-at-home. The dedication to keeping their partnerships intact has helped the park continue to serve safety to so many additional families as guidelines have been eased. For being a beacon in their neighborhood, we recognize Supervisor Shaunia McPherson and her staff at Franklin Park.
Chicago Park District Employees of the Year
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!
“Smoky Sakurada” Friends of Friends of the Parks
Illinois Institute of Technology Professors Maria Villalobos and Ron Henderson and Students of Landscape Architecture + Urbanism Program
In honor of a beloved volunteer of Friends of the Parks, the late Smoky Sakurada, we periodically highlight other committed partners that donate time and demonstrate significant commitment to our organization way above and beyond the call of duty. This year’s Friends of Friends of the Parks are Illinois Institute of Technology Professors Maria Villalobos and Ron Henderson and Students of the Landscape Architecture + Urbanism program.
Friends of the Parks Executive Director Juanita Irizarry and Dr. Maria Villalobos met as mayoral appointees to the Lincoln Yards Community Advisory Council and quickly connected and became behind-the-scenes thought and strategy partners in favor of vibrant public parkland there and elsewhere. They realized the connection they both had to then FOTP-board member Anton Seals’ work in support of the actualization of the Englewood Nature Trail. And the rest is history. Dr. Villalobos has supported FOTP’s work directly by participating in and moderating FOTP Netsch Lecture discussions and has engaged Juanita to provide a tour and input related to Humboldt Park and The Bloomingdale Trail and as a jurist in her students’ mid-term and finals presentations related to Humboldt Park, Garfield Park, and the Englewood Nature Trail. Another of her students participated in another lecture and did a presentation about park history as part of an FOTP staff training.
Maria also brought us into relationship with IIT’s Dr. Ron Henderson, who has engaged his students around a couple of FOTP projects, challenging them to think through real world applications of landscape design. The first project was a design studio project to offer alternative visions for the future DuSable Park site as part of inspiring thinking and modeling a public involvement process ahead of the anticipated park district design process for the park. The project included meetings with our DuSable Park Coalition and other stakeholders and attending our summer Death of DuSable commemoration. The process included a virtual Netsch Lecture presentation and an in-person exhibition at IIT of the students’ models for the park. This work has led to an invitation from the Chicago Park District for Ron to serve alongside Juanita and DuSable Park Coalition members on the current DuSable Park Framework Plan, where he is a strong advocate for positions FOTP cares about, including on-going agitation for the inclusion of the story of Kitihawa and the Pottawatomi tribe as part of the success of DuSable’s role in the region. Meanwhile, over this summer, he engaged independent study students to take a look at the Confined Disposal Facility (at the confluence of Lake Michigan and the Calumet River, and adjacent to Calumet Park) to imagine what it could look like fully converted into a park. The student designs were informed by previous schematics from our Last 4 Miles initiative community charrettes years ago, as well as updated neighborhood input. Each student vision was unique, and in their presentations they brought passion and expertise in converting dredge and landfill facilities into parks, slate material, and landscape architecture. The development of updated alternative visions for the CDF site is a major contribution in the fight to close and cap the CDF site which threatens our lakefront, helping to inspire and galvanize the community in the collective advocacy effort to return the land for community use.
