Agency Details:

The non-profit Neighborhood Parks Council (NPC) is a coalition of park advocates in San Francisco working to improve their neighborhood parks. NPC advocates for a superior, equitable and sustainable park and recreation system. NPC provides leadership and support to park users through community-driven stewardship, education, planning and research.

Many of the groups in our coalition have park beautification days on Saturdays and Sundays for a few hours when they can use volunteer help.

Description:
In addition to volunteering for park clean-up and greening days, we have other projects that might interest you:

• ParkScan a public portal to report park conditions, visit. www.parkscan.org
• Blue Greenway Project along SF's eastern shore
• Playground and Capital Projects



History:
A growing movement is underway to revitalize San Francisco's parks by citizens who are concerned about the graffiti, trash, leaky roofs, locked restrooms, drug dealing and gang activity that plague the City's neighborhood parks.

Dr. Isabel Wade, Executive Director of the Neighborhood Parks Council (NPC), has been at the forefront of this movement, and has directed a concerted campaign aimed at solving these problems. Wade created the Council in an effort to "take back" the parks, which have suffered decline due to budget cuts. The NPC has grown to include 100+ "Friends of" groups representing over 2,000 volunteers who have joined forces on behalf of their local parks. The Council provides a critical link among San Francisco citizens, neighborhood parks and city government.

In March 2000, Dr. Wade and the NPC spearheaded a coalition of other non-profits, including San Francisco Planning and Urban Research (SPUR), San Francisco Beautiful, Coleman Advocates for Youth, and Friends of Recreation and Parks, to organize a highly visible campaign to pass two ballot initiatives that would begin and continue the restoration of city parks and the acquisition of open space. Proposition A, a $110 million bond measure to pay for the renovation and acquisition of neighborhood parks and recreation centers, and Proposition C, a 30-year extension of the Open Space Fund including a new oversight committee and management reforms, were both passed with strong support by the people of San Francisco.




Contact people:


Meredith Thomas, Executive Director, (email) Matt Silva, (phone), (email)


Main office number: (415) 621-3260
Office fax number: (415) 703-0889

Address:


451 Hayes Street, 2nd Floor San Francisco, CA 94102 (See a map)


Web Site: http://www.sfnpc.org

Miscellaneous Information

Besides English, which languages are spoken at your agency?
	Spanish
What is the minimum age for volunteers at your agency?
	All ages
Is your agency wheelchair accessible?
	Yes
Does your agency have the capacity to host groups of more than 10?
	Yes
Does your agency have the capacity to host groups of more than 20?
	Yes

Last updated on April 22, 2010