Statements

Mission

Shelby Park and Bottoms is Nashville's third-largest park and at 111 years old our park needs your help to keep it looking good and working for everyone in Nashville.

Friends of Shelby works to preserve, enhance, and promote Shelby Park and Bottoms for everyone to appreciate and protect.

Background

Founded in 2008, Friends of Shelby is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation, enhancement, and promotion of Shelby Park and Bottoms for everyone to appreciate and protect. Friends of Shelby works to protect the natural and historical integrity of the park by supporting recreational activities, maintaining and enhancing park features, promoting programs that inspire appreciation and conservation, and advocating for a level playing field for all user groups.

Impact

2023 Impact Report

Direct Investment and Program Support
● New boardwalk at Shelby Events Lawn to bridge wetland and provide access across standing water
● Shelby Park Community Center Tennis Court Wind Screens
● New Bike Fit-it station at Cornelia Airpark
● 15 new benches for the park and Vinny Links Golf Course
● Paving of the north lake loop in partnership with Metro Parks
● Raised more than $350,000 toward the redevelopment of the US Naval Reserve Training Center

Park Maintenance and Beautification
● In 2023 the Friends of Shelby Volunteer Program grew to include:
o 1740 volunteers (1669 in 2022)
o 4127.5 hours (3747 in 2022)
● Volunteer worked on 89 projects and at 26 events
● Volunteer labor value of $123,618.63 ("Independent Sector 2021 numbers for state of Tennessee," at an hourly rate of $29.95.)
● Volunteers removed over 1250 pounds of trash from the park
● Restore the Forest
o Volunteers Engaged: 319 so far, 379 if we estimate for December
o Leaders Trained: 10
o Acres Cleared: 2.51
● 2 miles of trail maintenance.
● Sanded, prepped, and painted the Shelby Bottoms River Overlook and Observation Deck
● Planted 400+ new trees throughout the park with the help of Nashville Tree Conservation Corps and Metro Water Servies
● Maintained 18 acres of no-mow areas.
● In partnership with Scout Troop 3, installed 10 bat boxes donated by BatBnB in Shelby Bottoms
● Volunteers helped to maintain landscape beds at Shelby Golf Course Clubhouse, Lake Sevier, and at the Lillian Street park entrance.
● Ongoing volunteer projects to maintain the Shelby Bottoms Nature Center teaching garden.

Community Outreach and Events
● Held second annual Recreation Open House hosted more than 500 people. More than 35 park partners joined Friends of Shelby at the Shelby Community Center sharing games, activities, demonstrations and information.
● Park Explorer program
o reached 323 Students served
o 12 Classes of 2nd Grade Students
o 300% + Program growth
o 24 school visits and 12 field trips to the park
o 4 Organizations Enrolled (3 schools + Shelby Community Center)
● $2000 toward Shelby Community Center summer field trips and supplies
● The Shelby Walking Club met weekly for an all-ages walks around Lake Sevier.
● Pedal the Park met twice a month for evening rides in Shelby Bottoms. Averaging 10 riders per meet up and two special kid-friendly events with more than 50 attendees each.
● Hosted our third annual Ice Cream Social with free ice cream for kids, nature and art activities and music to showcase the Shelby Bottoms Nature Center. Doubling attendance to 300 people
● Participated in the Community Center's trunk or treat with over 300 community members
● Developed a new comprehensive park map for Shelby Park and Bottoms that will soon be installed on three new trailheads in Shelby Park.
● Friends of Shelby hosted a series of fundraising events focused on activating the park, creating meaningful community experiences, and raising much needed funding for park improvements and free programs.
o Colors of Shelby Art Show and Sale
o Cornelia Fort Pickin' Party - 6000 attendees
o Music City Hot Chicken Festival - 6000 attendees
o Shelby Race Series - 936 participants
▪ Golden Pheasant Triathlon
▪ Shelby 6 miler
▪ Third annual Full Belly Friends of Shelby 5K and Fun Run
o Fridays By The River Beer Garden - 5000 attendees
● Shared a monthly e-newsletter to keep the community informed about park offerings, events, and projects. 5680 subscribers

Organizational Development
● Welcomed two new employees - Park Programs Manager and Community Outreach and Volunteer Leader.
● Grew Friends of Shelby membership from 350 to 578 recurring donors
● Developed new board recruitment protocol and welcomed 5 new board members and one new Nashville Young Leader Council Intern.

Needs

Shelby Park and Bottoms is a local resource for the 18 neighborhoods within 1 mile of the park, and a regional resource drawing people from around the county. Shelby has always been a unique place in Nashville because of the diversity of the facilities and features and because of the diversity of the community. In the 37206 and 37216 zip codes, the parks serve nearly 20,000 households and 19 schools with over 10,000 students - 62% black, 19% Hispanic, 16% white, and 3% other. A large portion - 46% - of those youth are economically disadvantaged.

As the population in Nashville grows, the demand for park services and the need to escape into nature grows, but the city budget has not kept up. Maintenance and capital dollars have not kept up with decades and centuries-old infrastructure and facilities, and reduced programmatic funding means there are services that cannot be provided solely through tax dollars.

Parks play a vital role in addressing critical urban infrastructure and public health issues. Parks are essential to the livability of a community. They attract residents and businesses, increase revenue for cities, spur private investment, and increase job opportunities. Parks are powerful tools for urban communities and local economies.

CEO Statement

Shelby Park and Shelby Bottoms - Nashville's third largest park - is an important resource in our growing city and busy lives. The park brings families together to get healthy, connect with nature and with each other. Friends of Shelby works every day to care for and promote the park and its resources so everyone has access to all benefits.

As an East Nashvillian, I have been enjoying the park for a decade now, and what I love most about the park is being with neighbors. Running into people I know, striking up conversations with other parents at the playground and simply being in a space together with the cross section of the community all having fun. There are few other places where we all come together like that.
The park is a critical and amazing resource, and we are working every day to make sure that more people have access and feel welcome. The park is for everyone.

Service Categories
Primary Category:	Environment  - Single Organization Support
Secondary Category:	Public & Societal Benefit  -
Tertiary Category:	Recreation & Sports  -

Areas Served

Shelby Park is a large, urban park featuring river views; playgrounds; a dog park; softball and baseball fields; 2 golf courses; and areas for fishing, boating, and picnicing. The 960-acre Shelby Bottoms Greenway offers 3 miles of Cumberland River frontage featuring hardwood forests, open fields, wetlands, and streams, providing habitat for birds, amphibians, deer and more. The greenway offers miles of trails for hiking, biking, running, skating and wildlife watching and exploring nature.

TN - Davidson