Partnerships & Park Activation Support

Equitable access, environmental justice, and neighborhood investment in action

Through community partnerships and advocacy, OPRF supports efforts across Oakland that restore, activate, and care for local parks and public spaces. 

Recent and ongoing projects include:

  • Martin Luther King Day 

  • Earth Day 

  • Creek to Bay Day Support

  • Adopt-A-Spot and Adopt-A-Drain Resources

Courtland Creek Restoration

Partnering to restore creek health, beautify, and reconnect community with nature

As part of Oakland’s Measure DD Initiative, this restoration project was designed to improve creek habitat and water quality, stabilize eroding banks, and reduce trash and illegal dumping. It also aims to enhance climate resilience and park aesthetics while creating an educational and recreational resource for the community. The project was made possible through partnerships with OPRF, Friends of Courtland Creek, the Melrose Neighborhood Council, local schools, and funding from state and federal agencies.

Verdese Carter Park

Deepening roots, strengthen community, and create shared joy

Verdese Carter Park is a vital community hub serving nearly 9,000 nearby residents, offering youth programs through the Oakland Police Activities League and a thriving community garden run by Oakland Parks, Recreation & Youth Development. In 2020, Trust for Public Land partnered with the City of Oakland, local organizations, and neighbors to create a new vision for the park, one shaped by community input and made possible through funding from the Statewide Parks Program.With this funding, TPL will help lead the community re-engagement effort, design and construction of park improvements. (?) - from website

Want to see upcoming stewardship events?

Holly Mini Park

Partnering to increase safety, beauty, and community use

Completed in 2024, the Holly Mini Park Renovation Project was a collaborative effort led by the City of Oakland in partnership with community members, the Oakland Parks and Recreation Foundation (OPRF), private donors, and the Safety Impact Table, which adopted the project as part of its violence prevention strategy. The transformation of this long-neglected park was guided by community input and supported by partners including NCPC 32X, Trees for Oakland, Monarch School, Elmhurst Middle School, Attitudinal Healing Connection, Dillingham Associates, Beliveau Engineering, and Turner Construction, resulting in a safer space to support social cohesion and physical activity for neighborhood residents.

Brookdale Park

Collaborating on park improvements and community events

Website not up to date, need more info.

Tyrone Carney Park

TBD

TBD

Lake Merritt Alliance

TBD

TBD