Did you know Austin is home to more than 300 parks for you and your family to explore? That’s even more than our average number of sunny days per year! (We average about 230 sunny days a year. Bet you thought it was more!)
Saturday, March 4, 2017, is your day to give back to the trails and green spaces that give you so much enjoyment and fulfillment throughout the year. That’s the day of the 15th annual It’s My Park Day, which is Austin Parks Foundation’s biggest citywide volunteer event. Every year on It’s My Park Day, thousands of volunteers come together to improve our fair city’s parks and greenbelts.
What Is It’s My Park Day All About?
It’s My Park Day is structured around all kinds of projects in all kinds of parks. You might volunteer to do trail maintenance, tree care, mulching of plant beds, park clean-up or any of a number of other jobs.
Two years ago on It’s My Park Day, 3,000 volunteers put in a cumulative 10,000 hours of labor on nearly 100 projects in parks around town. That’s equivalent to five park maintenance employees working full-time for an entire year! That single day resulted in a citywide investment of over a quarter of a million dollars in beautifying and improving Austin’s green spaces.
How Do I Become a Volunteer?
Volunteer registration opens Thursday, February 9, and everyone is welcome! Parents and guardians of kids 15 years old and younger must accompany their child to the park on the day of the event and sign a Minor Liability Waiver. Teens ages 16–18 can volunteer on their own, and just bring a signed waiver to their Park Project Leader at the start of their volunteer shift.
All you have to do to get started is click here, and then choose the project you’d like to volunteer for. (You can also click here for more information on volunteering.)
And don’t forget to share your photos with the Austin Parks Foundation after the event! Email your photos to [email protected].
More About Austin Parks Foundation
Austin Parks Foundation (APF) is a nonprofit organization devoted to building public-private partnerships in order to develop and maintain Austin’s parks, trails and open space. APF has been committed since 1992 to making Austin’s 300+ parks, trails and green spaces better for everyone, including by promoting maintenance, accessibility and improvements in Austin and Travis County.
Featured photo courtesy Austin Parks Foundation
