Suzy Brandtastic Interviews Laura Skolar, Jersey City Parks Coalition

Amazing events are happening around Jersey City, many of which are hosted by Pershing Field Garden Friends, one of the parks in the coalition. Listen in as Susan Newman (aka Suzy Brandtastic) talks with Laura Skolar, one of the founding members and current president of the Jersey City Parks Coalition. In today's talk we're going to talk about FeedJC's Dinner in the Park (series), JC Reservoir's Wild Jazz Adventure (series); The Seasonal poetry, prose and song at JC Height's 942 Summit: Do You Tea?, WHOs Gluten Free, and Bloombury Sq. Also, Washington Park Live on Sept. 26, and multiple parks will have events during JCAST weekend. The Jersey City Parks Coalition is a collection of neighborhood and park groups working together to grow and improve Jersey Cityâ??s park system. The Coalition is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization since 2005. Laura Skolar is one of the founding members of the organization and current President. The Jersey City Parks Coalition has become a significant park and open space advocacy organization. Today we are twenty two members strong representing every ward in Jersey City. We have forged a durable relationship between the community and the City and have strengthened our base by partnering with like-minded organizations. Grants and fundraising to date have produced over $700,000 for park improvements and programming to say nothing of the thousands of volunteer hours that have been invested in our parks every year. Our 2011 BIG DIG initiative, an idea conceived by one of our members for National Make a Difference Day, has brought us national recognition through USA WEEKEND Magazine. This project truly embodied the nationwide effort of volunteerism which engages communities to plan and execute a one-day project that will impact their neighborhood, their community, their city. Our goal of encouraging active participation of residents in the beautification of their local parks and public spaces came to fruition through the positive outreach created by the BIG DIG. We have formalized our partnership with the City of Jersey City through an MOU, which codifies the role of the Parks Coalition and the City regarding the development, use and maintenance of all our parks and public spaces. This may be our greatest accomplishment to date, paving the way for future generations in this public/private enterprise.