Collegedale is establishing a foundation that will allow its fledgling Parks and Recreation Department to further grow and expand its offerings.
Since taking shape in November, the department has introduced a handful of new recreational programs for seniors and children alike, but forming a foundation will give the body access to a larger pool of grant money, said Traci Bennett-Hobek, director of the department.
Larry Zehnder, former executive director of Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center, poses for a portrait on the nature center property in 2016. Zehnder is one of the five members selected to serve on the board for Collegedale’s Parks and Recreation Foundation.She compared the proposed organization to the Collegedale Tomorrow Foundation, which raised more than $4 million to build The Commons and is still raising funds for future phases of the multi-use town square.
“That’s all foundation money,” Bennett-Hobek said.
She also drew comparisons to the Athens Parks Foundation in Athens, Tenn., which recently contributed about 15 percent of the funds needed to add a splash pad to its regional park, according to local news reports by The Daily Post-Athenian.