FRIENDS OF KENILWORTH AQUATIC GARDENS

The Friends of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens celebrates and protects this special place by:

...engaging volunteers
...supporting educational and interpretive programs
...building community partnerships
...fundraising for special park initiatives

Friends of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens is your voice for this park.

When public lands, such as Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, a national park site, enjoy the support of an active “friends” group, both the land site and the community benefit substantially. With its nonprofit flexibility and community stature the friends group creates easier access, greater public awareness, and stronger program and volunteer offerings at the park’s site.

In January we completed a new strategic plan. We set forth three goals for the next 3-5 years. The shorter term objectives are listed beneath each.
1. Expand the volunteer program by increasing the number of volunteers at work events; by creating opportunities for independent and small group volunteer experts; and by attracting more corporate volunteer events.
a. Expand our partner program so that all volunteer events are supported by corporations or non-profit organizations through volunteer recruitment and sponsorships.
b. Recruit and train Weed Warrior supervisors and certified volunteers to systematically attack the Park’s invasives in concert with the District’s Weed Warrior Program.
c. Hold annual volunteer recognition events.
2. Increase the use of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens as an Educational Resource by creating standards-based curricula; attracting more school partnership through the DC Promise Neighborhood Initiative and other partners; and by upgrading the interpretation offered visitors at the park.
a. Partner with the DC Promise Neighborhood Initiative to develop multiple connections with the park for students, families, and seniors in the Kenilworth-Parkside area.
b. Develop or leverage partnerships to bring alternative break and summer job-training opportunities for students and young adults.
c. Work with the National Park Service (NPS) to adopt a master plan for interpretation, addressing education, interpretive offerings for visitors and on-line, neighborhood access points, and signage.
3. Increase the Impact of Friends of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens by expanding our board in numbers and expertise; ensuring that we raise a minimum of $35,000 in unrestricted funds to sustain our staffing; and deepen our participation with the park’s staff in annual and long term planning.
a. Finalize our memorandum of understanding with the NPS and add specific agreements for donations and activities.
b. Secure the capacity and expertise to develop multiple streams of contributions and revenue to secure the minimum $35,000.
c. Increase our board from five to nine to strengthen its community base and its access to funders and partners.

Friends has a dedicated core of volunteers.
Friends has an established regular calendar of volunteer work event.
Friends has established partnerships with Anacostia River-based organizations and Kenilworth-Parkside neighborhood organizations
Friends employs a part-time program manager with excellent experience in environmental education and wetlands preservation
Friends has a board of directors that is engaged, actively participates, makes a financial commitment to the organization, and has changed over time.

Most Important Accomplishments, 2012-2014
Friends grew slowly up to 2010, building word of mouth and depending on a core group of 25 dedicated volunteers. The year 2010 stands as the baseline against which we measure our growth:
2014 (1/2 Yr) 2013 2012 2011 2010
Staff 1 PT 1 PT 1 PT final quarter of year
Ending bank balance $33,198 $29,436 $18,048 $3,200 $2,500
# Volunteer Events 10 + 2 corporate 10 + 1 corporate 9 8 7
# Volunteers & Hours 900/3,385 662/ 2,017 180/ 850 125/ 500
Value of In-kind Contribution to the Park $115,225 $68,578 $28,900 $17,000
NPS Agreements MOU MOI
Communication 2013 - Added Facebook, Twitter 2012 - On-line letter, Website updated regularly 2011 - Website maintained 2010 - Website planned and launched
Fundraising 2013 - 3 corporate sponsors, 2 grants, 100% Board gifts, donations 2012 - 3 corporate sponsors, 2 grants, 100% Board gifts, donations 2011 - Give to the Max, 2 small grants, Just-Give, donations 2010 - 2 small grants, individual donations

With the help of a Meyer Foundation grant this year, we have worked with the National Park Service to develop educational themes for the park to guide future educational programs. Using these themes, we created 5 downloadable lesson plans for educators and families to use in the park that utilize STEM principles and align with the common core standards for students in PK-5. We have also developed and strengthened relationships with environmental education providers that work in and around Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens - the Anacostia Watershed Society, Alice Ferguson Foundation and NatureBridge - to increase participation in their programs. We have proposed further development of these strategic partnerships to the D.C. Promise Neighborhood Initiative and the Meyer Foundation to create a pipeline of high quality environmental educational opportunities for middle and high school students in Ward 7 that allows them to engage with the cultural and natural beauty of their neighborhood national park.
We know that Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens could become a celebrated and cherished resource within the District and by its children for its capacity to teach naturally. To accomplish this vision, we must strengthen Friends in our capacity to support the park. We have already developed strong ethical and fiscal processes as a Board, along with Board support for our Program Coordinator and clear annual planning.