On Saturday, October 22, ReBUILD Metro worked together with community members, partners, and volunteers worked together to plant over 20 trees in Faith Lane Park. Along with new trees and plants, this project included the installation of a new 3,500 square foot nature play space for local children. The event was part of the Mayor’s Annual Fall Cleanup, a citywide event to clean and beautify Baltimore’s neighborhoods, and it was the continuation of a multiyear effort to transform Faith Lane park into a safe, healthy, and beautiful place for local residents and children to gather, play, and build community.
For almost 20 years, Faith Lane community leader Capricia Martin has committed to transforming Faith Lane Park into a safe space by organizing educational events, food giveaways, movie nights, and regular summer activities. Due to outreach from Ms. Martin and her neighbors about nuisances and decaying trees, the City of Baltimore prioritized the revitalization of Faith Lane Park to improve community safety and to add to its growing network of sustainable greenspaces in East Baltimore. Having redeveloped over 180 formerly abandoned homes within three blocks of the park, ReBUILD Metro accepted an invitation to collaborate with the City and local residents on this effort, with the goal of providing a healthier neighborhood to residents of ReBUILD homes and their neighbors.
Parks and People Foundation and The 6th Branch also joined this effort as part of their respective large-scale efforts to increase community-driven greening and sustainability in East Baltimore. The State of Maryland is also supporting this project through its Project C.O.R.E. program. The project, and the broader restoration of Faith Lane Park, continues to be led by local Faith Lane residents who have maintained Faith Lane Park for decades.
ReBUILD received a $20,000 TD Green Space Grant to complete this project, which are awarded annually by TD and the Arbor Day Foundation for tree planting, maintenance costs, and educational activities. TD Green Space Grants are made possible as part of the TD Ready Commitment, TD’s global corporate citizenship platform, aimed at opening doors to a more inclusive and sustainable tomorrow.
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