The concept of creating a foundation to support county parks is coming a little closer into focus.
“It’s a really good time to talk about those options and to think about what might be the best way to move forward,” said Jane Rudolph, director of the county’s Department of Parks and Recreation, at the Nov. 18 meeting of the Park and Recreation Commission.
Members of the commission have been mulling how to move forward on a philanthropic effort to raise funds for park facilities and programs for the past six months.
“The Park and Recreation Commission itself would not be the one organizing the foundation or the donations or anything like that,” said Jill Barker, the commission’s chair. “What we are doing is gathering information.”
At earlier meetings, the commission received overviews of philanthropic efforts supporting the Fairfax County Park Authority and NOVA Parks.
“This will be the third and probably last presentation on this subject, with the end goal of writing a letter to the County Board,” Barker said.
On hand for the online meeting was Jennifer Owens, president/CEO of the Arlington Community Foundation.
Owens suggested the foundation could be a conduit to provide administrative support for any future foundation. That would leave boosters more opportunities to raise funds and consider how to use them.
“Making the decision to partner with the Community Foundation can really be the stepping stone to moving forward,” Owens said.
Rudolph said that while the county government does some direct fundraising itself, an initiative like the one envisioned would need to operate outside the government umbrella.
“Especially if we’re looking to take on something more broad,” she said. “A ‘friends’ group or a foundation would be beyond the means of government, so we would want to have a partner like the Community Foundation.”
Rudolph seemed to welcome the idea of an independent fundraising arm.
“We always are excited to have partners to work with,” she said.
