In this month’s blog post we hear from Urbana Parks supporter Deb Newell. Deb is a retired librarian who moved to Urbana in November, 1980. Given that it’s November, and in the spirit of Thanksgiving, we hear from Deb on why she is thankful for Urbana Parks.
“I love being outdoors and especially in natural areas. I love walking in Meadowbrook Park and feeling as if I am away from the town and on the prairie. I love seeing the wildflowers and the art installations (sculptures) that are there. We used to live close to Carle Park and would often go there with our children for the playground. I enjoyed that the trees were labeled there and a few of our children used that as a resource when they did a leaf project.
Our children enjoyed going to Nature Day Camp and we have enjoyed lots of fun family activities at Crystal Lake Park.
Now we take our grandchildren to walk and play at Meadowbrook Park and the Ambucs Park. We also enjoy going to the Anita Purves Nature Center (preCovid) and walking through Busey Woods.
We very much enjoy the Jazz Walks. It’s wonderful to hear great music while being outdoors and enjoying nature and art at the same time.
I have been connected with the Urbana Parks for a long time. A particular memory is being a Nature Center Volunteer and leading school groups through Busey Woods doing pond studies and enjoying the natural world with my 9 month daughter (now 41 years old!) in a pack on my back.
We have been happy to support Urbana Parks because we think it is important to have public green spaces and spaces that provide both cultural and fitness activities. The parks provide a common denominator in our community because every person is free to enjoy them. We are thankful for all that the parks have provided for our four children – sports, camps, swimming, dance lessons, and many other activities in a wonderful natural environment.” – Deb Newell