Great Parks Build Great Communities
Meadowbrook Park Playground Giving Project
The Urbana Park District and Urbana Parks Foundation are raising funds to build the most ambitious and inclusive playground in UPD history.
The Urbana Parks Foundation
Nature when you need it
Wet shoes, dirty jeans and a memory of pond dipping with his classmates in Busey Woods. A student learned a few of the benefits of exploring the natural world on a school tour offered by the Anita Purves Nature Center. Today as a volunteer, he’s leading those tours.
A grass-stained jersey, first goal scored and ear-to-ear smile were the results for one young girl after a Saturday soccer game led by her volunteer coach. A few years later, teamwork and giving her best have become routine and part of her work ethic as a high school soccer player.
The Urbana Park District offers indoor and outdoor recreation for all ages. The opportunities it provides lead to lifelong healthy habits, hobbies, interests and friendships, letting everyone experience something fun, new, rewarding, memorable, meaningful. You probably have your own memories from a park, perhaps a deer seen in Meadowbrook or vibrant wildflowers in Busey Woods.
Have you ever wondered what it has taken for the wonderful Urbana park system to become what it is today?
Supporting Urbana’s Park Systems
Nature, people, and community health
Tax dollars are the bedrock of support on which the Park District is built, but Urbana’s parks are the important community asset they are because of significant support received from other sources. That’s where the Urbana Parks Foundation (UPF) comes in. It was established to help meet the growing need for supplemental support by raising funds for district activities.
The UPF seeks donations from people and organizations who appreciate the value of parks or programs not just for their immediate esthetic or environmental value, but for the impact they have on future generations.
Urbana Parks are a Resource for Everyone.
Latest News
10 Reasons to Attend Barn Bash
The Urbana Parks Foundation’s Barn Bash is coming up May 17th and it’s going to be a great time – and a great chance to support Urbana Parks. In this blog post, the Foundation’s events committee shares with you ten reasons why you NEED to attend Barn Bash!
Spring has Sprung at Urbana Parks
As the sun shines brighter and the days last longer we’re starting to see a shift in our parks. Flowers are beginning to bloom, trees limbs are budding, park paths abound with friends, family, and neighbors. In this blog post we share some of the photos from a recent walk through the south side of Meadowbrook Park.
Urbana Parks Foundation Hosts 2019 Annual Dinner
The Urbana Parks Foundation (UPF) hosted their annual dinner this past Thursday, March 14th at the Urbana Country Club. Over 80 people attended the 11th annual event. The UPF was established to help meet the growing need for supplemental support by raising funds for...
Getting to know UPF Trustee Nancy Schrumpf
My husband, Joe Thompson, and I were born and raised in Urbana and two of our three sons still live here; we are on our third generation of benefiting from all that the Urbana Park District has to offer. Urbana’s strong sense of community is largely due to the parks...
5 Ways to Enjoy Winter Days at Urbana Parks
This winter, instead of running away from the snow, embrace it! Lace up your hiking boots and head out to Urbana’s parks. Urbana is known for its four unique seasons – and with the winter months bring new opportunities to enjoy some of Urbana’s finest parks and their features.
Getting to Know Roger Digges: UPD Commissioner and Liaison to UPF
On a warm spring morning, I was walking a mown grass trail along the east side of the wooded corridor of McCullough Creek in Meadowbrook Park. I was looking for birds, hoping especially for a brilliant orange Baltimore oriole, when I saw something run across the path...