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Residents of Dove Springs, a predominantly Latino neighborhood in Austin, Texas, are doing something to improve the safety and appearance of their neighborhood parks
According to the Dove Springs Manantial de Salud blog, pastors and congregation members of Iglesia Bautista Great Commission en Dove Springs adopted Franklin Neighborhood Park in March of 2013, in efforts to improve neighborhood safety and to provide children with a place to play.
The work did not end here however. Other local residents did their part by organizing groups of volunteers to improve the conditions of five other parks, including: Dove Springs District Park, Kendra Page Neighborhood Park, Houston Park, Onion Creek Park, and Ponciana Neighborhood Park.
Community members met with local law enforcement to ensure that the area remained safe and also organized park clean-up days. One group went as far as launching a telephone campaign to gather community support for getting new playground equipment and succeeded!
According to the Manantial de Salud blog, the Austin Parks and Recreation Department agreed to have new equipment installed by August 2013.
Read the Dove Springs Manantial de Salud parks blog in Spanish here.
By The Numbers
33
percent
of Latinos live within walking distance (<1 mile) of a park
