The Champlain Street Park Revitalization was a multi-faceted community project that used grassroots organizing techniques mixed with free public acts of creative expression to bolster the vitality of the sole public park in Burlington’s King/Maple neighborhood. Through our activities, we hoped to bring together neighbors for community art creation, free food and celebration, community gardening, and stewardship of this rare urban greenspace.

Over the course of three years, volunteers coordinated community investment in this once forgotten park to transform it into a safe and valued space in the neighborhood. The key organizing team brought neighbors into the space to recognize their buy-in and their ability to make positive change.

Beyond just community members, this also included local non-profits and public-interest funders. Volunteers organized clean ups, art activities, garden stewardship, free community meals, and many conversations about the park. By leveraging community support and multiple small dollar value funders, the coalition built through the project was able to make all desired ideas come to fruition with the funds to make it happen.