Great Parks Build Great Communities
Pickets for PrairiePlay
The Urbana Park District and Urbana Parks Foundation are excited to launch a fundraising effort to build the most ambitious and inclusive playground in UPD history.
The Urbana Parks Foundation
Nature when you need it
Wet shoes, dirty jeans and a memory of pond dipping with his classmates in Busey Woods. A student learned a few of the benefits of exploring the natural world on a school tour offered by the Anita Purves Nature Center. Today as a volunteer, he’s leading those tours.
A grass-stained jersey, first goal scored and ear-to-ear smile were the results for one young girl after a Saturday soccer game led by her volunteer coach. A few years later, teamwork and giving her best have become routine and part of her work ethic as a high school soccer player.
The Urbana Park District offers indoor and outdoor recreation for all ages. The opportunities it provides lead to lifelong healthy habits, hobbies, interests and friendships, letting everyone experience something fun, new, rewarding, memorable, meaningful. You probably have your own memories from a park, perhaps a deer seen in Meadowbrook or vibrant wildflowers in Busey Woods.
Have you ever wondered what it has taken for the wonderful Urbana park system to become what it is today?
Supporting Urbana’s Park Systems
Nature, people, and community health
Tax dollars are the bedrock of support on which the Park District is built, but Urbana’s parks are the important community asset they are because of significant support received from other sources. That’s where the Urbana Parks Foundation (UPF) comes in. It was established to help meet the growing need for supplemental support by raising funds for district activities.
The UPF seeks donations from people and organizations who appreciate the value of parks or programs not just for their immediate esthetic or environmental value, but for the impact they have on future generations.
Urbana Parks are a Resource for Everyone.
Latest News
A Look Back at 2022
As another year draws to a close, we would like to take a look back at the past twelve months. In 2022, we had much to celebrate—from the return of our Barn Bash event to the completion of the Blair Park resurfacing project to the 25th anniversary of the Wandell...
Help us Connect Classes with Nature this Giving Tuesday
Students in Urbana need your help to connect with the environment and learn about nature! Every year, Urbana Park District hosts hundreds of students on field trips to learn about nature and the environment, and for some students, this is their first exposure to natural areas. To ensure that all our Urbana classes have the opportunity to visit and learn about our natural environment, the Urbana Parks Foundation is raising funds in support of the Urbana Park District’s Connecting Classes with Nature program. Connecting Classes with Nature helps to eliminate funding barriers for class field trips and provides valuable experiences in Urbana Park District natural areas for Urbana students. Your donation to this program will have significant impact on students’ exposure to the natural world.
Wandell Sculpture Garden silver anniversary celebration
The Meadowbrook Park Wandell Sculpture Garden is turning 25, and Urbana Park District (UPD) will be celebrating this quarter-century milestone in 2022 - 2023. As part of the festivities, visitors are invited to check out several new sculptures on loan to the park...
Meet Chris Scherer: New Urbana Parks Foundation Trustee
In this month’s blog we learn all about our newest Trustee and what he loves about Urbana parks!
Thankful for Urbana Parks
In this blog post, Urbana Parks supporter Deb Newell shares why she is thankful for all that the parks have provided for her and her family.
Getting to Know Trustee Judy Miller
It is my pleasure to continue to be involved with the district in such a wonder way as the Urbana Parks Foundation. As an employee I worked on projects where funding via the foundation were instrumental to the success of these community driven needs. I have also been a donor to the foundation and look forward to assisting the park district in this new role.