A Field is Born
Ground was broken, and construction began on the Madison Middle School Sports Field in the Sobrante Park neighborhood located by the Oakland – San Leandro border in mid-2012. The field and surrounding green space will provide outdoor sports and recreational opportunities to Oakland youth and teens living in one of the City’s most underserved neighborhoods. Friends staff and Board worked diligently throughout the year with the Oakland Unified School District and the NFL’s Local Initiative Support Corporation on the project. The field was completed, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on December 18, 2012.
500 Trees
Friends’ partne
rship with the West Oakland Green Initiative to plant 500 trees in West Oakland drew to a close in early 2012 with a bang. The tree planting project – made possible by an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant – benefited Oakland by creating job opportunities and training for West Oakland-based young adults enrolled with Civicorps. West Oakland was made greener by the addition of 500 new trees (303 of which were planted in January 2012 alone!), which created the potential for increased property values, and made the air cleaner to breath!
From our Friends of the Lake Merritt Japanese Garden
This is a photograph of the last section of fence that was constructed surrounding the Lake Merritt Japanese Garden. The next section will be completed in a few weeks. Gradually all of the old fence will be replaced, thanks to a grant from The Creative Work Fund, a program of the Walter and Elise Haas Fund supported by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the James Irvine Foundation.
The Friends of Lake Merritt Japanese Garden were able to apply for the grant because they are a fiscal account and member organization of Friends of Oakland Parks and Recreation. Friends manages fiscal accounts for groups who want to improve their communities but don’t have 501(c)(3) status.