To Our Oakland Parks Community,
It goes without saying that the last few weeks have been trying for all Oaklanders. The situation around COVID-19 changes daily, as do the seemingly endless pronouncements regarding responses to this crisis.
But it’s become clearer than ever: Parks are a unifying civic force that calm and heal us all. I hope that you will take advantage of Oakland’s 2,000 acres of open spaces across 130 parks, while practicing safe social distancing. Please go for a walk, take a hike or ride your bike — you will protect and improve your mental and physical health when you do!
I also want to let you know that Oakland Parks and Recreation Foundation staff members are working remotely, while Alameda County’s shelter-in-place order is in effect. For the fastest response, contact us by email:
- Ken Lupoff, Executive Director (ken@oaklandparks.org)
- Wes Radez, Development Manager (wes@oaklandparks.org)
- Hazel Tesoro, Operations Associate (hazel@oaklandparks.org)
You can also call us at (510) 465-1850. Please leave a message, as we are checking voicemails and returning calls throughout the day.
As you probably anticipated, our annual Spring for Parks fundraiser on April 30 is postponed until later this year. We’ll be in touch with ticket holders and will share a new date once it’s clear again that public gatherings make sense.
We are working to support the City of Oakland’s Parks, Recreation & Youth Development department, identifying funding gaps and potential financial resources to fill them. We are also in communication with other local non-profits to identify shared challenges caused by the current situation.
Please stay safe and healthy during this time and remember that Oakland’s parks are here for you! You can support our work by donating today.
Ken Lupoff
Executive Director
Oakland Parks and Recreation Foundation
To Our Oakland Parks Community,
First and foremost, this note is an opportunity to reach out and share OPRF’s regard for you and your family. May you all be healthy and safe, weathering this crisis, and finding some form of silver lining from the times we are in.
We also want to provide a welcoming reminder that our parks and trails are still open. With responsible social distancing practices, these special resources can safely provide you with the health, wellness, recreation, and community benefits that green spaces offer.
We want to assure our many community partners that OPRF is prepared for this crisis. Through many years of prudence, our financial pillars are solid, and we have the strongest, most amazing staff team we’ve ever had. We are committed to being there on the other side in support of our community and municipal partners so that all can continue their vital work keeping our neighborhood parks and recreation centers cared for, actively used, and beloved.
Like all non-profits, we are making adjustments to our planned events, such as our Spring for Parks gala, and will be in contact as we retool. But our core services are uninterrupted, and, even as society stumbles, OPRF is on the rise because the city, and all Oaklanders, are reawakening to the knowledge that parks are part of the solution.
It’s official: OPRF just ushered in an amazing victory with the passage of Measure Q. An extraordinary 68.08% of Oaklanders supported this commitment to our parks, amounting to a referendum on the belief that great parks make us healthier, more connected, safer, and socially, culturally and environmentally resilient. We are dedicated to now ensuring proper stewardship of Measure Q so that the benefits we voted for are delivered.
Measure Q, along with our strong organizational position, our dedicated staff, and a mission that elevates all of us are the reasons OPRF will carry on to champion Oakland parks. So count on us to be part of the solution for Oakland when it recovers from the pandemic to become one of the most livable, vibrant, equitable, fun and resilient cities in the country.
We will be back in touch as that solution unfolds.
Heather Kuiper
President
Oakland Parks and Recreation Foundation