Happy New Year to everyone! Roger Williams Park meant so much to so many different people, families, neighbors, and artists in 2020: your generous support during the recent giving season means we will be able to do so much more for everyone in 2021.
Kevin Essington, executive director
I am pleased to report that your response to our year-end “Essential Place” campaign in 2020 went beyond our expectations! Thanks to hundreds of individuals and foundations our annual fund reached a new record. For the first time we raised thousands of dollars for hundreds of new trees: a grove of flowering magnolia trees near the Casino. We secured tens of thousands of dollars for additional investments to the Victorian Rose Garden and Rose Maze. And so many people shared, liked, and promoted our news on social media. Thank you all, it all made a big difference.
Because of your generosity, we are working on new programs and improvements in the Park for the coming year, including:
- Additional arts and community events,
- New self-guided mobile phone tour of Park monuments and historic buildings,
- New “outdoor classroom” opportunities for educators and their students,
- Community-driven programs at the new Broad Street visitors center,
- User counts and surveys, and
- Restoration projects and investments that celebrate the rich history of the Park.
Your financial support and our long-term partnership with the City of Providence made all of this possible: thank you! But we are not done making the Park a vibrant place for everyone to enjoy. I hope to announce more exciting news in February and March. Spring will be here in just nine weeks, and the Park will be ready for you. But for now, please accept my gratitude for your tremendous response to our giving appeals in 2020 and I hope to see you in the Park soon.
Best,
