Welcome back! Community member Maureen Brown has shared some wonderful park memories she’s shared with her daughter. This story shows how impactful parks can be to a community.
“Parks have improved the quality of life for my daughter and myself in every neighborhood in which we have lived. When she was young and we lived in apartments and duplexes in Seattle, swinging, sliding and climbing in the park playground, learning to ride a bike in a safe environment, sitting together on a bench to watch and listen to birds and squirrels, discovering new plants and new friends, meeting dogs who were walking their people, were the primary ways that we had fun.
When she was older, my daughter and I attended outdoor concerts and movies in the park and watched events like the speed boat races on Lake Washington from the safety of a grassy knoll in a local park. In San Diego, where my grandchildren live in a single family home without a yard, they walk two blocks to a park almost every day, where they run full out to chase crows, to practice their soccer skills and then to rest and appreciate the shade of a real tree with other members of their family.
The variety of people that I have met in public parks, the great conversations we have had, the kids in the play pools and the dogs catching frisbees have all contributed to a happy life for me. In my dotage, I would love to be able to walk to a park, meet my neighbors, their kids and dogs, and increase my connections to my community.”
–Maureen Brown
Columbia Valley Park & Recreation District 