We got the chance to chat with Nancy Madynski from the Friends of Dolores Park Playground, a group who successfully advocated and organized for a world-class playground at one of San Francisco’s most beloved parks. Read the story below to learn more about this amazing community-led transformation!
“I lived around the corner from Dolores Park, so this was my neighborhood playground growing up. When my child was an infant, this became our neighborhood playground once again.
At the time, there was a dumpster near the sandbox and swings in the playground. There was no drainage in the sand area, the playground would flood for days after a big rainfall.
A group of neighborhood volunteers came together in 2005 wanting to clean up the playground. We soon realized we had the potential and responsibility to transform the space into a world-class playground, build community, and create a sustainable play space for people of all abilities.”
“From the very beginning, this was a family-oriented, grassroots community project. We always wanted to keep it fun, it’s a playground
after all!”
“When we learned SF Parks Alliance could help us, they became advisors to our volunteer group and helped us move the process forward. They were really helpful in garnering community support, and also let us know that there was Bond money available for the Dolores Park projects – allowing us to meet the budget needs of our dream project scope.
The Playground opened in 2011. Now, I think that Dolores Park is the most loved playground in San Francisco (I am biased of course)! It has even higher visitation than it did before. I’d go as far as to say that it is being loved to death!
I’d strongly suggest for any new group to garner community involvement early. As a group, your voice is always louder than that of an individual. As you build community, you will find support from people and places that you didn’t even know existed. There will always be obstacles along the way, so find motivation and be tenacious.”