Summer 2024

Seaside Park Volunteers Cultivate Plants and Civic Pr ide B Y R ENE E B R I NCK S E very Saturday morning about 30 Friends of Seaside Parks Association (FOSPA) volun- teers visit a different city park. Depending on the day, they might plant trees, pull weeds, spread mulch, pick up trash or tend to native plants. Participants beautify public spaces while also building connections. “We’ve become friends. We’re happy to be weeding together and sharing ideas about our community and sustainable living,” says FOSPA Board Chair Emily Howard. The nonprofit, which incorporated in , grew from park improvement efforts led by the Highland-Otis Neighborhood Association. Since mid , more than , *3S4% volunteers have donated over , hours at nine of Seaside’s parks. *3S4% hopes to e\pand its reach as more volunteers participate. Project focus varies by neighborhood. Some parks are getting fruit trees and vegetables, oth- ers need playground updates or benches. “All the gardens we work on are beautiful native gardens, rich with pollinator habitat,” Howard adds. Along with doing hands-on work, FOSPA volunteers support grant-writing projects, staff booths at local events, and advocate for park improvements at city meetings. “It’s about thinking globally, while acting local- ly,” Howard says. “Our world can be an over- whelming place. We can make it more positive. We start right here in our neighborhoods, and we’ve really seen the difference.” For more information or to volunteer, visit www.friendsofseasideparks.org . SHORT CUTS NEIGHBORS Founding board members of FOSPA, Carol Mikkelsen, Patty Kennedy and Emily Howard planting native pollinator plants with girls form Girl Scout Troop 32140. 96 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S U M M E R 2 0 2 4 Photo: Kelli Uldall