
Parks Foundation Announces Corporate Giving Tree
It was the perfect place to celebrate our success and announce our plans for the future - overlooking Huntington Park, the ultimate corporate investment in parks and community. Ginny Bott had the honor of sharing that in 2014 we have increased our corporate gifts by 361% over last year - and that we have founded the Corporate Giving Tree to expand on that success. "The new Corporate Giving Tree will help us to better thank the many wonderful partners that we have in the busin

1st Annual Corporate Donor Appreciation Breakfast
It was a beautiful day - and the rain stayed away, allowing us to celebrate our corporate donors while overlooking the new Huntington Park. This was the first time that we have been able to thank all of our business partners in one place and acknowledge all that their investment in the community accomplished. Chief among the accomplishments was the establishment of the Riverfront Park 2020 Fund (from the proceeds from the Expo '74 40th Anniversary Gala and Celebration) and, o

Spokane Parks Foundation Grant Program
Each year the Spokane Parks Foundation awards funds to support park programs and projects throughout Spokane County. Please note that this year we have added a Letter of Inquiry to the process. The Letter of Inquiry should be 1 page long and provide a brief overview of your organization and what you would like to ask us to fund. Applications will be invited after the letters have been received and will be available via invitation only. The grant cycle will run as follows: Sep
Become a Sustainer!
Your gift to the Spokane Parks Foundation helps us continue to advocate for our community’s greatest resource, our parks. Partner with us to ensure parks throughout Spokane County continue to thrive while strengthening our physical, economic and civic health. If you'd like to support the Spokane Parks Foundation in the easiest way possible - this is the way to do it! Simply go to our website, click on the Donate button and select how often you want to donate - we'll do the re

2014 Make A Splash By the Numbers
Look what we were able to do this year thanks to you! Dollars Raised: $42,866.93 Pool Passes Purchased: 1940 Total Swims Available: 17,167 Swim Lessons Awarded: 260 Swim Suits Donated: 387 And a special thank you to our partner organizatons: Big Brothers Big Sisters Cheney Parks and Recreation City of Spokane Parks and Recreation East Central Community Center Family Promise Goodwill Industries of the Inland Northwest Martin Luther King Jr. Family Outreach Center Native Projec

North East Youth Center Enjoying the Splash
“The Make A Splash Program helps our organization work to build courage and confidence while making a splash.”-North East Youth Center The NEYC is one of our many partner organizations. This neighborhood organization passed out swimsuits and facilitated swim lessons and handed out free pool passes upon completion of the swim lessons. Kate Green, Director of the NEYC, expressed her appreciation for the Make A Splash program stating, “Every kid got to participate in the field t

Fall is here! Time for soup.
One of the perks of living in the Inland Northwest is the changing seasons. This summer my favorite mid-day break was lunch in Mission Park to soak up the sun and vitamin d. Now that fall is here I can enjoy the sunshine, crisp air, and the changing colors of the leaves. I was recently introduced to a lentil soup recipe from Alton Brown that really surprised me with its flavor. Lentils are packed full of fiber, protein, minerals, B-vitamins and they are extremely low–fat. Wha

The Hamblen Society: A Legacy of Preservation
The name Hamblen has been closely connected to Spokane’s parks for over a century. Laurence Hamblen was named to the City of Spokane Park Board in 1912, elected Park Board president in 1930 and held that role until his death in 1956. As Park Board president he appointed a committee in January 1951 to work on the creation of a foundation to support parks and recreation in Spokane – the Spokane Parks Foundation. Laurence Hamblen was elected as one of the Foundation’s first Boar

The Suburbanites: 55 Years of Giving
The Spokane area is lucky to have a wonderful tradition of service groups and social clubs working hard to support local nonprofits and make a positive impact in our community. The Suburbanites is one such group that has been raising money for local charities for over 50 years - beginning in 1959 sponsoring the Children’s Home Society. Made up of mostly Spokane Valley women, the Suburbanites hold yearly fundraising events, donating the proceeds to charities in Spokane Valley

Why a Parks Foundation anyway?
I've been reflecting lately on the role of nonprofits. I took a great class on nonprofit history back at Case Western on the history of nonprofits, and for some reason I've been thinking a lot about it lately. While its difficult to sum-up a semester's worth of learning in 1 sentence, I'll try... Nonprofits exist to fill the gaps in services that government or corporations either can't or are unwilling to provide. Now there was obviously a lot more to the class than just that