Statements
Mission
To support, improve, protect and preserve the character of Long Hunter State Park and to participate in activities for the betterment of said park.
Background
The Friends of Long hunter State Park was incoproated in June of 1991.. We are the second oldest non-profit organization created in Tennessee to assist state parks. For decades we have been working with the Park staff by supporting, improving and preserving the character of Long Hunter State Park. Currently we are expanding our mountain bike trail to more than twice the original length. From early on the Friends group has been integral in starting and maintaining the children's playground in the Couchville Lake area. Over the years the Friends have purchased replacement equipment and we are currently working to generate funds to purchase additional fully accessible equipment so that all children can enjoy the playground. We are proud of the creation of the Couchville Lake Arboretum, the first state-certified arboretum in Tennessee State Parks. By sponsoring special events such as Trivia Nights, Campfires, Sellars Farm Archeological Tours and the Annual Long Hunter Mega-Hike, the Friends provide much needed volunteer personnel and a fun, interactive social atmosphere.
Impact
We have receive our second grant from REI Brentwood for the improvement and lengthening of our mountain bike trail. we have also receive a TVA grant for this project.We made great strides in our organization last year with a review and amendments to our by-laws which clarified the terms for elected officers and added at large members to our Board of Directors. We have received a $5000 grnt from REI which is being used to to expand and improve our existing Mountain Bike Trail. Our newsletter was revitalized and will be sent out to our large email list on a quarterly basis raising the visibility of the Friends and the Park and giving information on the activities happening. We developed and implemented a yearly budget.We led Friends hikes and also helped the park staff with National Trails Day and other events. We held a spring festival with educational programs and hikes which was attended by over 300 people. For the current year we aare working to complete oiur strategic plan which we started last year. We have set a goal to increase membership income. We will again present our annual Spring Festival We will register with GivingMatters and participate in the Big Payback We will plan and implememnt a fossil hike to be led by the TN State geologist
Needs
We continue to bring in new members and encourage them to take leadership roles We need to develop significant fund raising opportunities Lack of meeting and storage space is an issue especially in the winter months when the park building is closd on the weekends We need to develop a strategy to solicit corporate donations. We need to work on retention of members.
Board Chair Statement
We consider Long Hunter State Park to be an urban oasis. The Friends are passionate about preserving the beauty of this diverse park and in educating the public about what it has to offer. Many people in this area live in condos or apartments without yards or grounds around them. The Friends are the conduit to the community so that the word is spread about this fabulous resource in their back yard. For our organization to thrive we need active members and income in order to engage in the projects we want to accomplish. Both areas are an ongoing challenge. We set a goal this year to increase new memberships and we have been very successful in doing that. We have a small membership but a very high percentage of involvement which is wonderful. Very few of our members are retired, another good thing, so our meetings and projects need to be weekend oriented. Finding the balance between available energy and projects we want to do is something we are working on.
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Environment - Environmental Beautification |
| Secondary Category: | Recreation & Sports - Physical Fitness/Community Recreational Facilities |
| Tertiary Category: | Recreation & Sports - Parks and Playgrounds |
Areas Served
Hermitage, Mt. Juliet, Nashville and Lebanon serving the counties of Davidson, Rutherford and Wilson and other parts of Middle Tennessee
| TN - Wilson |
| TN - Rutherford |
| TN - Davidson |
