Our second year of ‘Pitch In for the Parks’ was a wonderful success thanks to you!

Last year, the Chicago Parks Foundation stepped up to launch ‘Pitch In for the Parks’, a first of its kind volunteer initiative for our parks. The Chicago Park District’s usual staff of seasonal workers was stretched thin by the Covid-19 pandemic. So we answered the call with our citywide parks clean-up effort.

The idea was simple: equip everyday volunteers to help keep our parks clean! CPF provides complimentary trash pick-up supplies and support to any group who wants to ‘pitch in’ and volunteer at a Chicago park. Our team coordinates registration, personalized supply delivery, and scheduling efforts. The program was first organized in a matter of weeks, and by the end of the 2020 season we had safely engaged nearly 2,000 volunteers for 350+ park clean-ups during the height of the pandemic.

Now with our second year complete, we are thrilled to see how ‘Pitch In for the Parks’ has grown quickly and significantly with committed community support. From June through October of this year, the Chicago Parks Foundation supported over 4,000 volunteers for a total of 600+ park clean-up events all across the city.

Special thanks to Bank of America and Chicago Association of REALTORS® for their generous partnership to make this effort possible.

It is the Chicago Parks Foundation’s continued goal to help park users and lovers become park givers and stewards. ‘Pitch In for the Parks’ achieves just that - this program has instilled a renewed sense of stewardship, community camaraderie, and parks spirit throughout the city. We look forward to covering even more park ground together in 2022!

Check out stories below from some of the dedicated volunteer groups who pitched in with us this season.

PITCH IN FOR THE PARKS 2021

4,000+ total volunteers

600+ clean-up events

160+ host groups

24 Green Teams

6,400+ trash bags

3,850+ pairs of gloves

Hyde Park Junk Pirates
MIDWAY PLAISANCE PARK

HYDE PARK

The self-named Hyde Park Junk Pirates is a community group of local neighbors who came together solely for the purpose of pitching in! Most of them work for the University of Chicago and live in the Hyde Park area.

The dedicated group met biweekly at Midway Plaisance from June through October, and over the course of this season collected 100+ bags of trash!

“In a pandemic era, we found peace and condolence in nature,” says organizer Bing Chen. “It is heart-breaking to see our beautiful parks littered with cans, glass bottles, plastic bags… It is so comforting to see a cleaned park.”

“We couldn’t have done Pitch In without Chicago Parks Foundation’s initiation, organization and support, so above all we thank CPF the most, “ says Bing. “Personally I want to thank my friends Aiping Zhang, Jing Liu, Li Chen and their children; they were almost always with me in each event. We had many one-or-two-time participants, too, I thank all of them from the bottom of my heart. I wish ‘Pitch In for the Parks’ success year after year.”

Washington Square Park Advisory Council
WASHINGTON SQUARE PARK

GOLD COAST

Washington Square Park Advisory Council is one of 70+ PAC partners under the Chicago Parks Foundation’s fiscal partnership program. The PACs are essential community groups of individuals who volunteer to support the functioning of their local parks.

“Our PAC, working together with the Chicago Park District, Chicago Parks Foundation and other partners, have improved park conditions and created safe, attractive and enjoyable programs, volunteer opportunities, and secured alternate funding sources to enhance park facilities,” says Washington Square PAC Vice President Kit Barbaro. “It has been such a pleasure working with the Chicago Parks Foundation and building our PAC's partnership with them.”

2021 was Washington Square PAC’s second season pitching in, and this year they expanded their participation to pitch in weekly from June through October, meeting many new volunteers along the way!

"‘Pitch In for the Parks’ connected us to a variety of new volunteers that were eager to assist in keeping the park clean,” says Kit. “It was such a pleasure watching them work and seeing the great results. ‘Pitch In for the Parks’ is such a great program to encourage people to volunteer for a great neighborhood cause!”

Armstrong Park Advisory Council
ARMSTRONG PARK

BRONZEVILLE

The Armstrong Park Advisory Council is another dedicated PAC within the Chicago Parks Foundation’s fiscal partnership program. Volunteering is a cornerstone of their cause.

“We volunteer to activate our local park, fellowship with neighbors, and build strong communities,” says Armstrong PAC Secretary Celeste Calhoun Johnson. “We also volunteer to maintain a public space that is welcoming and aesthetically vibrant for all its visitors. We volunteer to show our children you can be a contributing member of the community at any age.”

The Armstrong Park Advisory Council pitched in at Armstrong Park every other weekend over the course of this season! The program not only helped keep the park clean but fostered new relationships for the group.

“‘Pitch In for the Parks’ gave our PAC the opportunity to engage with various organizations and community members who share the same vision of a safe, inclusive, and engaging community park,” says Celeste. “We were able to build relationships that will positively impact our community for generations. I always appreciated when people who didn't come to the park for the Pitch In activities saw us cleaning up and stepped in to offer help!”

Gold Coast Neighbors Association
LINCOLN PARK

LINCOLN PARK

Gold Coast local, Amy Lardner, spends a lot of time in the south end of Lincoln Park, her park closest to home. When she noticed signs about the Pitch In program, she reached out to her neighborhood association and proposed organizing a recurring Pitch In group for this southern area of the 1,100+ acre park.

Gold Coast Neighbors Association hosted monthly events throughout the season with a variety of volunteers, from neighbors to local business teams, and even Illinois’ 12th District State Representative Margaret Croke - a neighbor and park lover who pitched in with her staff!

“Our parks give us so much - providing space for everything from organized sports leagues to quiet retreats with nature in the midst of the city - that wanting to give back by volunteering just seems like the right thing to do,” says Amy.

“It was a great way to make new friends and get to know existing ones better. Participating in ‘Pitch in for the Parks’ also helped us build community for our local park. The Gold Coast Neighbors Association has now volunteered to work with the community to develop new ideas to refresh this beloved, but heavily-used, local park. I look forward to continuing to pitch in for our parks.”

Thank you to EVERYONE
who Pitched In for the Parks this season!

PITCH IN PARTICIPANTS

40th Ward Alderman Andre Vasquez
AACH
Ada Park Advisory Council
Alderman Gardiner’s Office
Alvarez & Marsal
AMK Counseling
Armstrong Park Advisory Council
Ashton's Group
Banana Republic
Belden Block Crew
Belmont Cragin United
Berger Park Advisory Council
Bessemer Park Advisory Council
BetterUp
Blackhawk Park Advisory Council
Blissveda LLC
Buttercup Park Advisory Council
Camp TOV
Carver & Golden Gate Park Advisory Council
Chi-Town Mustang Club
Chicago Association of REALTORS®
Chicago Cares
Chicago Chinese Children Club
Chicago Fire
Chicago Red Stars
Chicago Women's Park & Gardens Advisory Council
Chopin Park Advisory Council
City Church Chicago
Civic Consulting Alliance
Connected Neighbors
Copado
Delta Sigma Phi- Epsilon Kappa at Loyola University Chicago
Don Nash Park Advisory Council
DoorDash Inc. - Chicago
Dreamchasers United NFP
Eckhart Park Advisory Council
Eugene Field Park Advisory Council
Farmers Fridge
frontenac
Fuller Park Advisory Council
Fulton River District Park Advisory Council
Galewood Park Advisory Council
Garfield Park Advisory Council
Girl Scouts of GCNWI - SU 279
Girls in the Game Teen Squad
Global Citizenship Experience Lab School
Gold Coast Neighbors Association
Gompers Park Advisory Council
Greater Eastlake Terraces Beaches Park Advisory Council
Gross Park Advisory Council
Harding Park Advisory Council
Hasan Park Advisory Council
HEROES/BHYPE Team
Hora Del Cafe, A Starbucks Partner Network
Horner Park Advisory Council
Humboldt Crew
Humboldt en Solidaridad
Humboldt's Helping Hands
Hyde Park Junk Pirates
Hyde Park Together
IIT, Community Affairs
Independence Park Advisory Council
Infosec
Ismaili CIVIC
Jackson Park Advisory Council
Jefferson Park Neighbors
Jessie “Ma” Houston Park Advisory Council
Keller Williams ONE Chicago
Kelly Park Advisory Council
Kelvyn Park Park Advisory Council
Ken-Well Park Advisory Council
Kilbourn Park Neighbors
Klein and Hoffman, Inc.
L.E.K. Consulting
Lake Shore Park Advisory Council
Liberty Christian Center
Lincoln Park High School
Little Village Clean Up Club
Lorraine Dixon Park Advisory Council
Loyola Park Advisory Council
M for 45 Youth Council
Mamie Till-Mobley Park Advisory Council
McDonalds Corporation - Global Business Services (Agency123)
MF Collective
Moccasin Ranch Park Advisory Council
Moran Park Advisory Council
Mozart Park Advisory Council
NAPO Chicago
Nat King Cole Park Advisory Council
Nichols Park Advisory Council
Nielsen
IQ ECP
North Park Village Nature Center Park Advisory Council
Ogden Park Advisory Council
One Team, One Plan, One Brand
People Church Love Is
Perficient
Pig Sty Pick-up Pals
Ping Tom Memorial Park Advisory Council
Portage Park Neighbors
Pottawattomie Park Advisory Council
Project 44
Pullman Community Park Advisory Council
Rainbow Beach Park Advisory Council
Revere Park Advisory Council
River North Residents Association
River Park Advisory Council
Rogers Park Neighbors/Pokemon GO
Rosenblum Park Advisory Council
Rutherford Sayre Park Advisory Council
Salesforce
Season to Soar
Sherman Park Advisory Council
Skinner Park Advisory Council
South Shore Cultural Center Advisory Council
Spaulding Ridge
St. Josaphat School Service Club
Summaiya & Maria's Group
Sunshine Healing & Friends
Target Mayfair
The Beverly Improvement Association
The Chi-Town Multicultural Film Festival
The Sisters
The Trash Cats
Totus Tuus
Unity Park Advisory Council
University of Chicago - Orthopedics
University of Illinois College of Medicine Sustainability Student Interest Group
Upshot Agency
Upward Bound
Urban Planning and Policy Student Association - UIC
Washington Park Advisory Council
Washington Square Park Advisory Council
Welles Park Advisory Council
West Chatham Park Advisory Council
West Ridge Nature Park Advisory Council
White Sox
Winnemac Dog Park Committee
Wolcott College Prep
Zeta Sigma Chi Multicultural Sorority Inc.

PARTNERS

Bank of America
Boxed Water
Chicago Association of REALTORS®
Chicago Park District
Whole Foods Market

GREEN TEAMS

Berkley Environmental
Camelot Illinois
COFCO International Limited
Cresco Labs
Dinsmore & Shohl
dscout
DWS
Edelman
Fusion Risk Management
Invenergy
JLL Chase
KPMG
MarketStar
Milliman
Northern Trust
Rightsize Facility
Slipstream
The Mom Project
US Foods
Ventas
Wilson Sporting Goods
Zeno Group
ZS

Chicago Parks Foundation
The 501c3 Partner of the Chicago Parks

Volunteer Contact: Sonia Horvath
Outreach & Fiscal Partnerships Coordinator
(773) 505-9737 • shorvath@chicagoparksfoundation.org