Adopt A Park Or Trail In Your Community

A few months ago we were driving home from running errands and Son No. 1 said, "Mom, let's adopt a park."

To which I replied, "I don't think you can do that."

To which he countered with, "Yes you can, I just saw a sign in a park that said it was adopted by a family."

And so I was all, "We'll check it out when we get home," but in my head I was thinking it was (a) going to be forgotten or (b) cost money.

As usual, I was wrong. Son No. 1 made me go on google right away and it turns out adopting a park is not only free, it was super simple. I downloaded the form, filled it out and mailed it to the address indicated. Three weeks later we were proud owners of a park.

How it works in our community

You make a commitment to:

• Adopt your selected area for a minimum period of one year
• Provide a litter cleanup and inspection of the area at least once a month during the winter, and twice a month from spring through fall
• Report any damage through storms, vandalism, graffiti and illegal dumping of household, garden or pool waste material onto town land

In return, we get:

• That cool sign you see in the picture above, a personal letter of thanks from the Mayor, and an invitation to a volunteer appreciation reception with the Mayor.

But it's so much more than that. While my kids often clean up the park by our house on their own and participate in earth day events, adopting this park is teaching them to be responsible on an ongoing basis and they are learning to care for their community—plus it's something we can do together as a family.

There are adopt-a-park/trail programs in many communities across Canada. Do a google search and adopt one of your own and teach your kids how easy it is to make a difference.