On November 18th, 2010, Mayor Jim Suttle, City of Omaha Parks, Recreation and Public Properties Director, Melinda Pearson, and John Conley announced the creation of the Omaha Parks Foundation. The Parks Foundation will be lead by private citizens whose goal is to ensure the sustainability of Omaha’s 250 parks. This private foundation will work in partnership with the City of Omaha and Parks Department to improve facilities and expand programming to establish Omaha’s parks as a model for the rest of the country.
Similar parks foundations exist and flourish in other cities around the U.S. including New York City, Seattle, and Austin, TX. These organizations have been successful in other communities and have proven to be a valuable resource in funding community needs within park systems.
“The Omaha Parks Foundation will secure the future of the city’s parks system,” Mayor Jim Suttle said during the announcement, “offering citizens the opportunity to leave a legacy for generations to come.”
The Omaha Parks Foundation founding Board of Directors are: John H. Conley, President and CEO of Conley Investment; Debra Parsow, Parsow Consulting Group; Paul Jeffrey, President of Bahr Vermeer Haecker Architects; Dave Ciaccio, Landscape Architect, Partner at Community ReDesigned; Alicia Chavez Kroupa, President MBA Suppliers; Willie Pippen, Business Development Director at Hayes & Associates, LLC.
The Foundation is a non-profit organization who has recently applied for its 501(c)3 status. It will rely on private donations to help enhance City of Omaha Parks.
Mayor Jim Suttle, Omaha Parks Director Melinda Pearson and the founding Board of Directors for the new Omaha Parks Foundation
