Category Archives: Press Releases

Join Us for a Walk in the Park

The Friends of Jennie Drake Park invite you to take a walk on the new trail on Saturday, September 16, between 8 and 10 AM. The park entrance is across from 668 Waterford Road NW, near the corner of Waterford Road and Oldknow Drive.

The first 50 persons who pre-register and arrive between 8 and 10 AM will receive a gift. Light refreshments will be provided for walkers. Pre-register by September 9, by emailing jenniedrakepark@gmail.com. 

The Friends of Jennie Drake Park is one of more than 100 local Park Pride Friends of the Park groups. Park Pride, the only Atlanta-based nonprofit that engages communities to activate the power of parks, is active in greenspace advocacy and educating both civic leaders and the general public about the benefits of parks. Park Pride helps communities realize their dreams for neighborhood parks that support healthy people, strong neighborhoods, a healthy environment, and more.

We are enthusiastic about the opportunities that the new trail will provide to connect more neighbors, support better health and highlight another resource which makes the Collier Heights community a desirable place to live.

To fund the installation of the trail and other improvements, Jennie Drake Park received financial support from a number of sources, including a Community Building Grant from Park Pride and supported by The Home Depot Foundation; the discretionary funds of District 9 Council Member Felicia Moore; donations from other elected officials and corporations; and also contributions from neighbors and friends.

Contact person:

Pauline Drake

404 691-0853

jenniedrakepark@gmail.com

Jennie Drake Park Receives Grant from Park Pride

Atlanta, GA, January 23, 2017 – Friends of Jennie Drake Park have announced their receipt of a grant in the amount of $17,631 from Park Pride.  This primary use of these funds will be used to complete the installation of a loop trail.  In addition, there will be kiosks with maps, signs, doggie stations, wildflowers, and other features to appeal to birds and make the park a more attractive resource for residents of the Collier Heights neighborhood where it is located.

Park Pride is the only Atlanta-based nonprofit that engages communities to activate the power of parks.  Working with 90 local Friends of the Park groups, Park Pride is active in greenspace advocacy and educating both civic leaders and the general public about the benefits of parks.  Previously, the Jennie Drake Park has received support from Park Pride for beautification efforts and for support to build an entrance to the park (dedicated in May 2015).  Other sources of support for building the entrance and the trail have come from the discretionary funds of District 9 Council Member Felicia Moore, from other elected officials, from corporations and also from neighbors and friends.

The Friends of Jennie Drake Park are enthusiastic about the opportunities that this new grant will provide to connect with more neighbors,  support better health, and tap into  more of the resources which make the community a desirable place to live.

Individuals and families wishing to support improvements in the Jennie Drake Park are invited to come to the park (645 Waterford Road NW – Atlanta, GA 30318) on a volunteer work day (usually the 3rd Saturday) from 9 AM to 12 noon.  For more information about volunteering or supporting the park financially, they may also contact us:

www.jenniedrakepark.org

www.facebook.com – Jennie Drake Park

Pauline Drake, JDP Steering Committee Chair – 404 691-0853 – jenniedrakepark@gmail.com

Dr. Pauline Drake Receives Park Pride Inspiration Award

pauline award

Dr. Drake with Michael Halicki, Park Pride Executive Director (Park Pride Photo)

Dr. Pauline Drake received Park Pride’s Inspiration Award at the 2016 Parks and Greenspace Conference.  Dr. Drake worked for years to bring her mother’s dream for a neighborhood park to become a reality.  As the Chairperson of the Jennie Drake Park Steering Committee, she has guided the effort to transform four acres of vacant land into a Park with walking trails, native plants, and a creek.  The Friends of Jennie Drake Park are proud of this recognition given to Dr. Drake for her hard work.

Jennie Drake Park Receives Grant from NPU-I

Jennie Drake Park has received at $500 grant from the City of Atlanta NPU-I. The grant is being used to buy plants and planting supplies for the Park. Jennie Drake Park Treasurer, Jim Gantner, stated “this grant allows us to purchase needed tools like rakes, gloves and a wheelbarrow, as well as supplies for our planting beds. We will be also adding several varieties of annuals to areas of the Park.”

Felicia Moore Donates $12,000 to Jennie Drake Park

JDP Dedication

City of Atlanta Councilmember Felicia Moore has donated $12,000 from her discretionary funds to develop a walking trail in Jennie Drake Park. The trail will allow visitors to access the interior of the Park. Chairperson of the Friends of Jennie Drake Park, Pauline Drake, said “What wonderful news for our community!  Now we can take steps to implement the next phase of our vision for the Jennie Drake Park.”

Jennie Drake Park is located on Waterford Road in Historic Collier Heights.

Atlanta Regional Commission Honors Collier Heights Community Association

Exceptional Merit for Community and Historic Preservation

Collier Heights Community Association, City of Atlanta

Planned and developed specifically as a suburban community for upper and middle class African Americans, Collier Heights includes some 1,700 homes. Built primarily in the 1950s, 60s and 70s, the community housed many of the region’s most prominent leaders over the years, from Herman Russell and Donald Lee Hollowell, to Ralph David Abernathy the third and the Reverend Martin Luther King Sr.

Thanks to the efforts of the Collier Heights Community Association and Georgia State University, the community was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009 and became the first mid-century neighborhood ever to gain City of Atlanta historic district status. This ensures that new development and renovations to existing properties will be in keeping with the historic residential integrity of the community.

Park Pride Awards $14,000 to Jennie Drake Park for Capital Improvements

Contact:  Pauline Drake                                                          For Immediate Release

pedrake@comcast.net

404 691-0853

 

Park Pride Awards $14,000 to Jennie Drake Park for Capital Improvements

 Jennie Drake Park has received a $14,000 matching grant from Park Pride.  These funds will be used to increase community access by creating an entrance to the park and eliminating invasive species (English ivy, Chinese privet, and Chinese wisteria) that have choked out desirable plant growth. 

Dedicated in May 2011, Jennie Drake Park is located in the Historic Collier Heights district of northwest Atlanta at the intersection of Waterford Road and Oldknow Drive.  In March 2013, the community completed the Park Pride visioning process. The visioning project overview can be found on the Park Pride website. The $14,000 grant from Park Pride, plus a matching amount ($14,100) to be raised by the community, will enable the community to begin to realize its vision for the park.  

Every third Saturday the Friends of Jennie Drake Park host a work session in the park to plant, mulch pathways, remove invasive species and pick up trash. Volunteers are invited to join the Friends in making the park a resource that community residents can use to improve the quality of their lives.  

The grant for the Jennie Drake Park is one of 17 matching grants, totaling $625,000, to parks in the City of Atlanta and DeKalb County for improvements.  Founded in 1989, Park Pride is a nonprofit organization that has awarded more than $2.8 million for playgrounds, land acquisition and other capital improvements to parks. 

To learn more about the Jennie Drake Park or the ways that you or your business can contribute to the development of the park, please contact:

Pauline Drake, Chair

Friends of Jennie Drake Park

pedrake@comcast.net

404 691-0853                                 

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