Dear Friends,
Today is Giving Tuesday, a day of global generosity where many different non-profit organizations make their pitch for why and how you should support the work they do. We know you love the James River Park System, and we are proud to be able to be your conduit for expressing that love through your support of our work.
Right now we are working on a wide range of projects to protect, expand, and enhance the JRPS. Some of those projects, like new directional trail signage, could be completed in just a few months. Other projects, like installing a permanent public restroom on Belle Isle, probably have a 2-year horizon. There are still other parts of our work, like invasive species management, promoting Park visitorship, and adding land to the Park that will probably never end. Progress can take time and I am blown away by what we have been able to get done in the 18 months since I started with Friends of James River Park.
What do I need from you? That is a great question, and one that I spend a lot of time trying to come up with new ways to answer. I think one of the most helpful questions you can ask yourselves is, what is the Park worth to you? If you pay taxes in the City of Richmond you are already contributing a few bucks per household each year, which is great. If you visit the Park frequently that could work out to only a couple of cents per visit out of your pocket. That is a great deal! If you are coming into the Park from outside the City you are getting totally free access to everything the JRPS has to offer, that is an even better deal!
Of the more than 2 million people that visit our Park each year, only about 2,000 donate to our Park support organizations. What I am asking you to do is consider what the Park is worth to you on an annual basis, and try to figure out a way to make that contribution through time, treasure, or talent each year. We are a very small community of people who have taken it upon ourselves to build a system that will ensure the quality and permanence of the JRPS, and we need everyone we can get to play their part.
Cash donations are an efficient way to make a difference in the Park. Your monetary gifts support Park improvement projects and provide direct funding to the JRPS team. You can check out our website for updates on what exactly we have been working on. Donations can be made at https://jamesriverpark.org/
Volunteering is another great way to give your time to the Park. If you have a group that is interested in organizing a volunteer project with FOJRP you can reach out to us at friends@jamesriverpark.org. Individual volunteers can keep an eye on our social media for opportunities or join a volunteer event through one of our partner support organizations, like Keep Virginia Cozy https://keepvirginiacozy.org/ or the James River Outdoor Coalition https://jroc.net/. You and your family can also just grab a bag and start picking up trash – that can be a great way to help!
Like many of you, I only support a small handful of organizations each year that I know and trust. I think building trust and faith in our organization is one of the most important jobs of a nonprofit Executive Director. It is one of my goals to build trust with you all by ensuring we are efficient and effective with the resources we are granted. As we look toward bigger Park improvement projects, your involvement in our work will become more important, and I hope that I can continue to give you everything you need to make a good decision about whether or not to support us in the future.
Thank you all for taking the time to read this message. I will see you in the Park.
Josh Stutz
Executive Director
Image by Bill Draper Photography
