Our Mission
Our Mission
Westchester Parks Foundation invests in, advocates for, and enhances the over 50 parks of the Westchester County Parks system.
We envision a future where Westchester Park Foundation’s innovative experiences and programs inspire engagement in Westchester County Parks. Our work helps safeguard a County Parks system that is open to all and available for everyone to enjoy. Our role is distinct and critical as the primary nonpartisan, nonprofit partner of the County Parks system. With passion and commitment, we bring together public and private partners for fundraising, infrastructure and investments, programs, and community events to ensure the sustainability of our cherished parks, trails, and open spaces for generations to come.
Parks are a vital and fundamental part of the community. They exist to conserve green space, whether 1 or 100 acres. They provide a place where people from all walks may gather and enjoy the benefits of the outdoors. They invite people of every age and ability to engage in fitness and reap the wellness benefits of outdoor activities. In Westchester County, our 18,000-acre park system is one of our most valuable assets. Encompassing more land than many state park systems, it is a reason that people live here, work here, and spend time here.
Recognizing this, Westchester Parks Foundation seeks to:
Preserve this asset for future generations;
Strengthen the connection between parks and our communities;
Create stewards of our parks, through positive experiences in our parks;
Impart a feeling of ownership and pride in our public spaces — open to all, available to everyone.
Westchester Parks Foundation creates and manages programs that unite people from all corners of the county to gather together, where they are inspired to care for, learn about, and enjoy our parks. Our programs are purposeful, engage the public, and enrich our park system.
Westchester Parks Foundation makes physical improvements to our park system, recognizing that public action and private support must join together to secure the future of our park infrastructure and the enhancements that help our parks thrive.
We ask the public join with us — to experience your parks, steward your parks, and love your parks.
Our History
Westchester Parks Foundation (then called The Friends of Parks, Recreation, and Conservation in Westchester) was established in 1977 by a group of dedicated civic and philanthropic leaders. At a time when public dollars were extremely limited and unavailable to support Westchester County’s quality parks and recreational programs, these leaders were determined to restore our County Parks to their splendor. They developed an organization titled “Friends of Parks, Recreation and Conservation in Westchester.” In 1978, they designated the organization a 501c3 not-for-profit corporation with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Westchester Parks Foundation supports the Westchester County Parks system, which comprises more than 50 parks and recreation properties, spanning more than 18,000 acres – a tribute to people of vision who created one of the finest park systems in the country. In 2003, the Westchester County Parks were accredited by the National Recreation and Parks Association, and was the first county agency in New York and one of only 47 agencies in the country to earn that distinction.
Over more than 35 years, Westchester Parks Foundation has invested over $20 million to enrich the park experience for all residents through improvements, projects and programs, volunteerism, and more.