The Summer Youth Conservation Crew

Franklin Park is very important to its surrounding community. On a daily basis a lot of people walk throughout the park. They thank us for the work we do to the park. I learned a lot about the history of the park, such as the Overlook Ruins, which were built in the 1880’s. We also spent a lot of time cleaning the Overlook Ruins. Another aspect of the park we learned about was the bear cages, which used to be part of the zoo but they were too much money so they had to get rid of the bears. This job also helped me learn about myself; that I can work hard and work well with others. This job was a very good experience overall.

--Declan

The Summer Youth Conservation Crew

Another summer has come to a close for the Youth Crew here at FPC and for the second time, I am amazed. Once again, I’ve grown as a young adult and leader. Once again, I’ve met new, amazing people. Once again, I’ve seen the wonders of the park and what it means to our community. I’m sad that the summer is coming to a close because the best part about it is being able to work here. The experiences and friendships made here can last a lifetime, and in that lifetime I will be grateful for the Franklin Park Coalition.

--Bianka

This is part of a series of writings from members of past Summer Youth Conservation Crews. The Franklin Park Coalition Boston Marathon Team raises money to support different programs in the park each season. 

The Summer Youth Conservation Crew

One of the biggest pieces of the pie of the Franklin Park Coalition's Boston Marathon Team's fundraising goes to the Summer Youth Conservation Crew. The "crew" consists of 20-30 teens as well as supervisors who spend their learning about the environment and history of 527 acres of Franklin Park by caring for it each day. Besides working to preserve the park, these kids also get lessons in landscaping, gardening, landscape architecture, and managing a business as well as a chance to explore the White Mountains. For many, this is their first time exploring a wooded area, let along garnering an appreciation for it. 

Over the next few weeks, we'll be sharing stories from the Summer Youth Conservation Crew and their experiences in the park. Some are funny, some are touching, some show a passion for history and the environment, and some show an appreciation for earning real money. Some are a combination of all of these factors.

We invite you to continue to support the Summer Youth Conservation Crew and the good work of the Franklin Park Coalition. To learn more, visit www.franklinparkcoalition.org. 

The Summer Youth Conservation Crew

While working at this job I learned that I’m a hardworker. I push myself to complete something with no complaints. Franklin Park is a place that has been around for many years. Children and families of many generations come here. For them to realize the difference being made because of our work brings a good feeling for me, knowing that they’re so thankful

Overall, I feel that the best thing about the job was pulling trees. Sports night was the most fun. It gave everyone a chance to relax, interact with kids, and just enjoy the rest of the day.

--Cheyenne 

The 2013 Franklin Park Coalition Team is Ready to Rock!

Current members of the 2013 Franklin Park Coalition Boston Marathon Team had the opportunity to meet on Sunday, January 6 at the Franklin Park Coalition office in Roxbury. Members of the team, both returning and brand, spanking new, were welcomed by the staff with bagels and coffee and fruit and covered the essential topics from a lesson on the Franklin Park Coalition to what exactly is a tempo run.

So far this year's team is made up of all sorts--we have a marathoner looking to complete 50 marathons in 50 states and another who will use the Boston Marathon as her first ever road race. We have accomplished fundraisers and those new to the life of development. We have folks with kids, folks with grandkids, and folks with dogs. There are Olmsted geeks, those who work with youth, and those who just love urban parks and want to see them get even better.

If you'd like to join our team, we still have space available and it's not too late to catch up and join the fun! Please visit our "Application" page for full details and contact Marathon Charity Team Leader, Julie Arrison, with any questions.

See you on the run!

Welcome to the 2013 FPC Team, Yogi Dani!

 

Dani Bialas, a.k.a. Yogi Dani, grew up and raised her family in Melrose, Mass. After the birth of her second child she re-entered the fitness world as a trainer, eventually starting up the practice of yoga and opening her own studio—Yoga in Me—in Medford, Mass. Dani was a runner in college and through the 90’s ran 5K’s, 10K’s, the Army 10 Miler, the infamous Falmouth Road Race, and numerous half marathons. Most recently, Dani completed the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C.—with an impending hurricane chasing her for 26.2 miles.

Dani gained a fondness for Franklin Park while her son ran high school cross country. She likens the start of a meet on the Playstead to a “Braveheart” style charge. After completing her own BAA Half Marathon with a finish in White Stadium, her love just continued to grow. For more info on Dani visit DaniRunsBoston2013.US. To support Dani’s fundraising efforts, please visit:

Welcome to the 2013 Team, Margaret!

The newest member of the 2013 Franklin Park Coalition Boston Marathon Charity team is Margaret Newell. Margret hails from East Boston. She is a guidance counselor at Everett High School and strives to set a good example for he students. Because of this, Margaret is very exited to join the Franklin Park Coalition Team this year and to help support efforts to provide families, especially youth, a safe place to run, walk, participate in activities, or just be together. She has been running on again, off again for years and has quite the resume including 12 half marathons, 5 sprint distance triathlons, and 2 Boston Marathons with Wediko Children's Services . When not putting miles on her feet, Margaret likes to spend time with family and friends (particularly if there is a beach involved) and hanging out with her 6 year old Portuguese Water Dog, Buoy.

An Update for the 2012 FPC Boston Marathon Team from the FPC Staff

April 16, 2012 did not mark the end of the journey for the 2012 Boston Marathon Team. The staff at the Franklin Park Coalition took time out of their incredibly busy and hectic summer of managing park projects, the Summer Youth Conservation Crew, Playhouse in the Park, and Youth Drop-In Sports Nights to keep everyone up to date on how our fundraising efforts were being used. Christine Poff, the amazing executive director, sent us the blog update that you can find a link to in an article below as well as this thank you.

Her words really put into perspective what the 2012 Boston Marathon Team was able to provide for teens around the park as well as everyday park users.

"..Attached is a photo of the crew playing a game on one of the park's old stone walls. They had to arrange themselves by birthdate without talking, it was pretty funny. Today at lunch they had a huge game of camoflauge ... some love this kind of thing, but the big tough guys act like they are too cool for anything that isn't HARD work, but they join in and get goofy.

Because of all your efforts we did a 2-night camping trip this year, the first time we've done that. Through a great partnership with the Appalachian Mountain Club the crew borrows tents and gear. They hiked, splashed in waterfalls, did a night walk, told stories by the campfire, and all came home thrilled with themselves - for most it was the first time in a tent and for about five of them it was the first time away from home. (I talked to parents a lot ... a few were really anxious)

Last week at Sports Night we had members of two rival gangs, but they played ball and ate burgers together with no problems - it's exactly what we hope will happen. We have a really cool coach who is coming out, used to play with the Houston Rockets."

Notes like this are just one of many reasons why someone should consider joining the Franklin Park Coalition Boston Marathon Team. You truly make a difference.

What the 2012 Boston Marathon Team Provided

As we gear up to start accepting applications for the 2013 Franklin Park Coaltion Boston Marathon team, it's a great time to look back on the experiences that the 2012 Boston Marathon team was able to provide by raising money for the Summer Youth Conservation Crew. For many of the teens who participated, this wasn't just a "summer job," but a work experience that introduced the group to new friends, new challenges, and educational take-aways that will last a lifetime.

If you are considering running for the 2013 team, take a look at some of the statements (unedited!) from the Summer Youth Crew. We hope that you will realize that when you run with us, you are impacting the lives of a deserving group of teens as well as the beautification of Boston's largest urban greenspace.

Applications will be available here and on the website on Monday, September 10.

From Jamie: "Working with the Franklin Park Coalition was very helpful and productive. This job helped me learn about different types of plants and things about Franklin Park that I didn’t know about. I had fun working with my crew and getting projects done. Being noticed for what we did by the people in the community who use the park made this job worth working for."

From Jevon: "I have learned that I am a dedicated, hard worker. I work well with others and I put a lot of care into what I do. From the first day I started working at Franklin Park I have learned why it’s so important to the community. I’ve also learned a lot about its history, for example, the Overlook ruins have been there since 1885. The best thing about this job was learning how hard I can push myself and getting to meet new people."

From Tenia: "This summer was quite an interesting one. I got my first job at Franklin Park. I learned a lot about myself and the park . While I passed by this park almost every day before I had this job, my views of it were that it was disgusting and nasty. But now that I have worked in this park for six weeks, I know the park is not really like that. It is peaceful and nice with a lot of beautiful plants. This is something I learned about the park from my job experience."

How the 2012 FPC Boston Marathon Team Got Youth Moving

This blog article came out a bit earlier in the summer, but as of July 30, 2012, 1175 kids were "moving" in Franklin Park as part of the Youth Drop In Sports Night Programs. Equipment and barbecues featuring turkey burgers and dogs for the sports nights in 2012 were funded by the hard work of the 2012 FPC Boston Marathon Team--continuing to prove that $60,000+ in fundraising has wide reaching impact.

Look for adult and family programs in the park this fall to get people moving. Next summer, the Playhouse in the Park series will be one of the program beneficiaries of the 2013 FPC Boston Marathon Team Fundraising. One of the goals of the family programs is to bring in performers to get the audience moving.

Please check out the blog for pictures and details: http://www.bostonbeyond.org/blog/boston-youth-are-moving-health .

Bleeding, Breakdowns, and Buzzes...Just Another Weekend with the FPC Boston Marathon Charity Team

The latest installment from our On the Run page.

Dale, Julie, Owen, Coach Toomey, Jason C., and Paula are smiling after completing their last indoor track workout at the Reggie Lewis Center last Tuesday night.

Weekend of February 18:

The team had some great efforts put in last weekend around the Emerald Necklace, around the hills of Brighton, and in the wilds north of the Tobin Bridge. The common denominator? Perfect February weather! We’ve all been chatting with friends who have run the Boston Marathon in the past—especially last winter—who have shared their jealousy and anger that this is the weather that we have been training in. Then again, last year’s Boston Marathon was 50 degrees, light sunshine, and a tailwind, so if karma means anything…

The miles are definitely creeping up. Julie and Dale set out for a jaunt around the Emerald Necklace and a detour onto both Huntington Avenue and Centre Street in JP. All in all, it was 14 miles of lovely views and good company. It was great coming back into Franklin Park at the end of the run and seeing so many golfers enjoying the nine holes of open turf, again, in February!!!

Jared also enjoyed 14 miles around the J-Way and the Fens (how did we miss him?!). While the knees are healing, he is now realizing the importance of body glides and well placed band-aids on his chest. Bleeding nipples will only toughen up a runner and the team has faith that he’ll recover well. Jared was also looking for more hills on his run. Perhaps he should have joined Laura for her 12 hilly miles with her Dreamfar team?!

Jason C. joined a number of members of the Wicked Running Club and a few thousand others for Half at the Hamptons. He’s been training hard and said he felt great! Shari, on the other hand, had a relaxing Friday night in a hot tub with martini and realized that soaking in water does not mean that a marathon trainer is hydrating…nor do martinis…and as she set out to meet her training buddy for a hybrid road/trail run to get in 16 miles, she realized just how under hydrated she was! There were many comments, akin to Owen of a few weeks ago, about throwing herself into traffic, but the team is happy to see that she recovered nicely and sparked a good discussion about pre-, during, and post- run nutrition habits, which, sadly, does not include martinis!

Speaking of Owen, our speed demon found some company with some speedy guys from the North Shore who planned on on-course run at varying breakneck speeds. Owen and Mike kept a 6:10-6:30 pace for 14 miles when Mike decided that maybe his nutrition was a little off for a run at that pace. Owen swears he tried to bring the pace down, but “it's hard to convince oneself to slow when fast feels so good.” Following leaving a dehydrated Michael Smith on the road in the fetal position, Owen strided out a few sub-6:00 miles for good measure. Mike is fine and recovered with a nine mile run in Lynn Woods the next day. No one worry.

Nichole is excited to get back on track with her training. She has been on the job hunt and in a yoga certification program, leaving little time to focus on the long runs. The good news is that she has accepted a job offer with a group that encourages family fitness and is so excited to have her many loves coming together…and re-focusing on the Marathon!

Kristen took on a 13 this week…not with all the gusto the world had to offer, but everyone in Marathon training has those tough weeks. She took some time to rest and regroup, which in the end is the most therapeutic thing a runner can sometimes do!

We’ve had two flu victims on our injury report this week—Carleen and Paula—who are rumored to be recovering slowly but surely. Elizabeth is also starting PT for her bum knee this week, but has been keeping up her efforts on the bike and elliptical and in the pool.

Event Alert! Leap and Run for Franklin Park

Join the Jamaica Plain contingent of the Franklin Park Coalition Boston Marathon Charity Team for the Leap and Run for Franklin Park Night at Bella Luna. The marathon runners are raising money and awareness to support summer jobs, athletic activities, and preservation in Franklin Park and could use YOUR support.

Meet us at Bella Luna, located in the Brewery Complex, 284 Amory Street, JP on Leap Day (2/29) from 5:00-9:00 p.m. Advance tickets are $15.00 and available here. Tickets at the door are $20.00. Enjoy unlimited gourmet pizzas and meet the team members and staff who are working to make Franklin Park a better place for you and your families.

All ages are welcome. A cash bar will be available. Bring along a little extra money to win a chance at some great, local raffle items. A very special thank you to Bella Luna for putting together a fantastic night for the FPC!