Parks are healthy places.
Parks are vital to a community’s health. They are special places where people of all ages can get out and be active. Walking, running, and exercising…basketball, skateboarding, and learning to ride a bike for the first time. These are just some of the things that folks who use Lincoln School Park enjoy doing on a daily basis. How do I know? They have told me so!
Parks are great for appreciating nature, getting fresh air, getting away from a screen, and giving our spirits a boost during challenging times.
I will never forget the time in my own life when my mother was in an assisted-living facility post-surgery. I have never before experienced such high levels of stress, anxiety, and worry. At one point, I decided to go for a walk. As I walked around the neighborhood I rounded a corner and there was the most incredible, healing, transformative sight. A park! The impact that the evergreen trees and the lush, green grass had was instantly and powerfully healing. It was a ray of light in a dark time. Parks hold power for us humans. The power to heal. The power to restore. The power to comfort.
It was in that moment that I knew that all of the years that we’d put into park preservation was more than worth the time and effort. It was an affirmation of this path that we’ve found ourselves on. It was evidence of the healing power of a simple, yet beautiful, park — the power of nature — in our day-to-day lives.
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Melissa Mitchell-Hooge
Director