Friends Contributes More Than $1 Million to Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites Through Chapters in Action

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Jan 14, 2014, 15:00 ET


Cartersville, GA (PRWEB) January 14, 2014 -- Friends of Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the state’s park system, announced today that its Chapters in Action program has now contributed more than $1 million toward essential needs and improvements at state parks and historic sites. The semi-annual program, which was established in 2010, operates in tandem with Friends’ ongoing efforts and provides additional funding to Friends chapters for outstanding needs at their local site.

“The Chapters in Action program gives us another avenue to help the parks have a brighter future,” said Andy Fleming, Executive Director of Friends of Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites. “We’re able to equip volunteers with additional resources to make their site more enjoyable for guests, and we see the improvements creating a more sustainable park system.”

The Chapters in Action program raised more than $200,000 for Georgia’s state parks and historic sites in 2013, covering a range of projects from maintenance and repairs to enhancing visitor amenities and providing outdoor educational programs.

Projects that will be made possible by the additional funds include:

  • Nationally accredited training for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Search and Rescue Team, including Wilderness First Responder and National Cave Rescue training
  • Providing advanced equipment, supplies and medical kits to the Search and Rescue Team
  • Paving, lighting and landscaping areas at George T. Bagby State Park to increase accessibility
  • Construction of an outdoor interpretive center with replica American Indian hut and artifacts for educational programming
  • Removal and replacement of a sinking overlook slab floor at Tallulah Gorge State Park

“We are very pleased to have the ongoing support of Friends of Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites,” said Becky Kelley, Director of the Parks, Recreation and Historic Sites Division of Georgia’s Department of Natural Resources. “This program complements the more than 70,000 hours Friends volunteers contribute each year to help Georgians enjoy the tremendous natural, historic and cultural resources in our great state.”

Friends members and donors throughout Georgia fund the Chapters in Action program. Many of these committed individuals and their families also log hundreds of hours volunteering at their local site.

“We’re grateful for the generosity of donors who want to ensure the parks are available for future generations,” said Fleming. “They helped us reach the $1 million benchmark for the program much more quickly than we anticipated, and their support speaks to how important the park system is to Georgia residents.”

To learn more about Friends of Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites and its Chapters in Action program, visit friendsofgastateparks.org.

Suzy Swindle, three, http://friendsofgastateparks.org, +1 (404) 835-4529, [email protected]