Adopt-A-Park program a chance for residents to get involved
When the Tinley Park-Park District is ready for spring planting this year, officials hope they will have a small army of volunteers ready to help fill the flower boxes at most of their sites.
District officials announced in December the launch of an Adopt-A-Park program in 2023, inviting groups, businesses, families and individuals to help beautify and maintain some of its 26 parks.
Carol Bradtke, the Park District’s marketing manager, said the program is designed to give people “the opportunity to experience what it takes to create the park ambience and maintain it.”
“We have a lot of dedicated park patrons,” Bradtke said. “They love the parks, they watch out for the parks. They tell us when something is wrong.”
The district will provide flowers and guidance and are counting on volunteers to handle planting and maintenance — weeding, watering, litter removal and spreading mulch. Signs are planned for flower boxes indicating who is helping maintain them. Volunteers also will be recognized in the district’s publications and social media.
Besides honoring volunteers and advertising the program, that publicity can also be an incentive for participants to keep up their work throughout the summer.
“They don’t want to have their name there and have the plants die because they ignore them,” she said, though she does not expect that to be much of an issue. “I really believe that anyone who signs up for it, they have the intent of following through and gaining the experience.”
Bradtke, herself a gardener, thinks that experience is valuable.
“There’s a great learning experience for kids with this in being outside, working with plants,” Bradtke said. “Kids grow up and they have houses and gardens. I think it’s just a great learning experience with younger people. It’s a lifelong skill they will take with them.”
Tinley Park has spent the past year or two trying to figure out the best way to implement the program.
“We figured now is as good a time as any,” Bradtke said. “We’re really excited about it.”
The Park District has received
a great response since announcing the program, she said, with “quite a few phone calls” looking for more information and people downloading applications and handbooks at tinleyparkdistrict.org. They’re looking into specific projects such as cleanup days, invasive species removal or habitat restoration.
The Adopt-A-Park program is a way to improve parks beyond regular maintenance done by park sta ff , she said.
“It really will be a partnership with the Park District,” Bradtke said.
The program and its incentives echo the state’s Adopt-A-Highway program, which for years has recruited volunteers to partner with the Illinois Department of Transportation to keep roadsides clean. Civic groups, clubs, organizations, sororities and fraternities, churches, and families are all invited to take part by caring for a 2-mile section of highway at least four times a year for a two-year period.
Illinois’ Adopt-A-Highway Act was passed in the early 1990s, opening the door for IDOT and local jurisdictions to recruit volunteers, according to Maria Castaneda, IDOT communications manager and public information officer. Castaneda said it is still going strong.
“Over the past three years, IDOT has approved close to 300 applications,” she said, noting a website upgrade has made the process easier for potential volunteers.
IDOT provides volunteers with safety vests and trash bags, and installs road signs that identify the helpers. It’s a way to give visitors and tourists a better first impression of the state and make roadways safer with less debris.
“Thanks to the help of the volunteers providing supplemental roadside cleanup activities, IDOT maintenance workers are able to focus on removing large debris and other actions, such as filling potholes, fixing guardrails, storm sewer cleaning and repairs, and many other jobs that keep the roadways safe,” Castaneda said.
Permits are for two years, giving volunteer groups an out if they don’t want to stick with it. But IDOT has largely seen the program as a great way to bring together groups, friends and families to make a difference she said.
That type of civic engagement is something the Village of Flossmoor has utilized recently for a massive Plant the Gem tree planting, its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service activities and more. Mayor Michelle Nelson said that level of involvement from residents is a hallmark of the village.
“I think that’s always been part of our community,” Nelson said. “Flossmoor has always been a community of doers. I think the scale of our projects lately has been bigger and village-wide, but our residents have always been extremely activated and connected in projects that promote a greater good.”
Nelson said Flossmoor residents also get involved with the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District’s Park Pride Day, which similar to Tinley Park’s planned initiative asks volunteers for help planting flowers and adding mulch throughout the park system. And in the spring, Flossmoor also turns to residents for cleanup events.
“A lot of garbage does get trapped under snow,” Nelson said. “When the spring thaw comes, it’s a real problem. Residents come out every spring to help.”
Nelson said that kind of help from the community is important, because public works cannot get to every nook and cranny around town as quickly as they might like. It is also a great way for residents to reconnect after being cooped up for the winter, she said.
“That’s really neat when you see people coming together who haven’t seen each other in a while,” Nelson said.
Nelson added these collaborations are a combination of village-led initiatives and resident-driven projects. The village’s Hidden Gem Half Marathon, Bike the Gem and Juneteenth celebration are all resident-led events, and the village got involved to figure out how they can make them happen together, Nelson said.
“It’s critically important that we work together with folks to help make these incredible programs successful,” Nelson said. “Flossmoor residents are so incredibly generous with their time. Flossmoor residents always show up when needed. They are just so thoughtful and conscientious. That’s one of the reasons I just love being here so much.”