August 2011
In This Issue
Playground Matching
Mayoral Forum
RPD Update
Save the Date
BHOC
Art Exhibit
View NPC's Calendar!
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I am pleased to announce that Neighborhood Parks Council (NPC) and the San Francisco Parks Trust (SFPT) are creating a new, bigger and more effective park-serving organization for San Francisco. The new organization will be called the San Francisco Parks Alliance and I am asking for your help in ensuring its success as an advocacy, support and leadership entity for San Francisco parks and park users.
I hope that you have been tracking NPC’s updates about our efforts to form the San Francisco Parks Alliance, but if not, now is an excellent time to get involved. Click here for a full overview.
Thank you for your dedication to our parks and to NPC. I look forward to jumping into this new adventure with you!
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For our parks,
Meredith Thomas |
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Our Playground Matching Campaign Is Halfway There!
The Mimi and Peter Haas Fund has challenged us to raise $20,000 that they will match, dollar-for-dollar, so that every child in San Francisco will have access to a clean and safe playground.So far, we've received gifts of more than $10,000 for this matching campaign! With those donations, we've been able to support renovation efforts at Dolores Playground, Kimbell Playground, McLaren Peru St. Playground, Mountain Lake Playground and West Sunset Playground. These sites are or will soon be clean, safe and enjoyable for San Francisco's children.
Now, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel and we need your help to get there! Please join the challenge and make your most generous gift now by clicking this link--we'll put your doubled dollars right to work!
This Fall's Mayoral Forum Is Underway: September 12, 2011
Come join us for our Mayoral Forum to get to know your candidates!
This election year, NPC and its partners Walk San Francisco, the San Francisco Parks Trust and Friends of the Urban Forest, will host a mayoral candidate forum that focus specifically on park, recreation, and open space issues.
Click here to RSVP.
Join us to learn more about each candidate’s knowledge of and positions on these subjects. NPC's Mayoral Forum will be taking place at Milton Marks Auditorium (455 Golden Gate) on September 12th from 6:00PM - 8:00PM.
Recreation and Park Department (RPD) Update
A message from General Manager Phil Ginsburg: RPD celebrated National Park and Recreation 
Month last month with a diverse range of events and programs in parks across the city, and boy, what a month it was.
Month last month with a diverse range of events and programs in parks across the city, and boy, what a month it was.
In a fitting start to the celebration, Coca-Cola presented us with a generous gift of $250,000 on July 5 that will help provide much-needed recreation equipment that will serve all neighborhoods in the city. A mobile sports/recreation van will travel around the City with equipment for exciting new alternative recreation programs such as mountain biking, kayaking, skateboarding and climbing.
Read the full RPD update here. Highlights include the broadcast of the Women’s World Cup, the improved Carrousel Plaza, and staff appreciation.
Save These Dates!
07.01.11-09.30.11: Philanthropist Boutique Shopping Fundraiser
Enjoy shopping and giving towards a good cause? If so, you're in luck! The Philanthropist Boutique in San Francisco has chosen the San Francisco Parks Trust as its charity of the quarter-- July 1 through September 30.
All profits during this period will go toward the Recreation and Park Department's scholarship program, which ensures that all kids have access to our recreation programs.
Click here to start shopping (and giving) today!
08.04.11: Mission Dolores Park Rehabilitation Workshop
Please join your neighbors at the third community meeting to discuss the improvements and help ensure that the plan addresses the diverse needs of the park and its users. Community members will work in small groups to choose the best approach for each key aspect of the park, from the entrances to the paths to the bathrooms. Click here to view the flyer for this workshop.
08.20.11-08.21.11 and 08.27.11-08.28.11: A Midsummer Night's Dream
Women’s Will, an all-female Shakespeare company, will be performing A Midsummer Night’s Dream at McLaren Park on August 20th and 21st. They will will also be performing at Dolores Park on August 27th and 28th.
Starting time for all 4 performances is 2:00 PM and are free, but donations are requested.
08.23.11: Party For The Parks
A civic celebration to raise funds and friends for San Francisco’s parks! Hosted by San Francisco Parks Trust (SFPT), San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, and SFPT Committee Co-Chairs, this event will be featuring rides on the historic Golden Gate Park Carrousel, carnival fun and games, and signature cocktails, followed by a sumptuous buffet catered by McCalls. Later in the evening, dancing will commense with music provided by DJ Spider and much more!
Be sure to purchase your tickets here.
Keep Up With Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema
Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema is on the move! To keep up with this fiscal group of NPC, be sure to take a peek at their Enewsletter.
Also, join BHOC at their 8th Annual Summer Outdoor Cinema from August 31st–September 4th. You won't want to miss these 5 FREE nights of local cinema at 5 charming Bernal sites!
About BHOC: Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema™ offers free screenings of Bernal Heights and local filmmakers’ works in neighborhood parks and open spaces to increase the exposure and recognition of local artists, to heighten appreciation by neighborhood and citywide residents and to bring community together for the enjoyment of our parks and neighborhood resources.
Artful Learning Experiences Available: Mary L. Harden School of Botanical Art
You are invited to the upcoming botanical exhibit and fundraiser entitled "Treasures from the San Francisco Botanical Garden at Strybing Arborteum" which will be open from September 1st - December 30th at Helen Crocker Russell Lirbrary in the Arboretum.A new walking tour and map will also be available so that visitors can locate these treasured plants in the gardens.
Don't forget to save Thursday, October 6th, 5:00PM - 7:00PM, for a reception to meet the artists in the library.
